Libélula
by 0Enidan0
Summary: Without a word, Ulquiorra Schiffer led an apprehensive Orihime Inoue to a room where she would now be spending most of her hours. Everything about this man was cold; his words were short, and his expression was inanimate...
1. Dish Domes

Author's Note:

Hello Folks,

I really wanted this story to be a slow, detailed depiction of how an Ulquihime story would play out given the characteristics of the two. I wanted to give plenty of room for personal reflection and inner conflict. Particularly, I really wanted to address Ulquiorra's thoughts, emotions (or lack thereof, lol) etc., because I was interested in developing their relationship in such a way that you could realistically see and understand how such an unlikely pair would come together. I feel that there is sometimes a lack of this in the general fandom, and basically I just really wanted to write a story that possessed these features. I am excited to present to you "Libélula"; it truly has been a pleasure working on this.

* * *

><p>Without a word, Ulquiorra Schiffer led an apprehensive Orihime Inoue to a room where she would now be spending most of her hours. This would be her first night in the ghost-world of Hueco Mundo. She felt queasy upon inspecting her surroundings. The room was bare and lifeless: a pathetic excuse for a rug, a painfully plain table and chair, a faded cerulean couch, and a window that opened into midnight were the only decorative touches her new dwelling had to offer. She thought back to her little apartment in Karakura Town, with the photographs of her brother and friends on the walls…she missed it already. She thought back to each of her friends, and most of all to Ichigo Kurosaki. How could she have allowed herself to come here? <em>Have I made the wrong decision? <em>She could feel her eyes start to water._ No, _she reassured herself,_ I did it to protect my friends…I did it for Kurosaki-kun…_

Ulquiorra's voice interrupted her thoughts. She crossed her arms and slowly looked up at him. His back was still to her, but his head was turned to the side so that she could see his face. His aquamarine eyes were just as cold and lifeless as the room. He stared off disinterestedly at some spot on the wall, with his hands in his pockets. "These are your quarters. I will be your primary caretaker. It is my responsibility to ensure that your state of being remains to Aizen-sama's liking. You will remain here, unbothered, unless otherwise directed by Aizen-sama."

Everything about this man was cold; his words were short, and his expression was inanimate. Orihime would be spending most of her time here alone, yet his presence was not even the slightest bit helpful in providing a welcoming atmosphere. _Though, this is not the type of luxury I should be expecting in Las Noches, _she thought sadly.

Ulquiorra headed through the doorway and turned again to firmly shut the door.

Orihime slowly trudged to the blue couch, buried her head in the cushions, and cried.

.oOo.

Numerous tears had eventually led her to exhaustion. Hours slipped by as she slept on the couch. She dreamed that she was at a dinner table with Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, and Uryu. They were about to indulge in a feast set before them. Everyone lifted a round, silver dish dome to reveal their dishes. Each person's plate had a mixture of appetizing foods, complete with rice and savory smells. When Orihime's turn came to lift her silver dish dome, there was nothing on her plate but an enormous, ugly black worm with bright white eyes. It looked up at her, staring coldly. Everyone at the table yelled at her, "How could you ruin our dinner! What filth did you bring to our table! Get rid of it!"

Orihime began to cry. She attempted to lift the plate to take it away, but the worm snapped at her with its sharp, yellow teeth. She screamed and looked down at her hand, which was now bleeding. She was startled to hear it speak. It said, "Foolish girl, you will no longer be eating at the same table with these people."

The worm's white eyes then turned a brilliant aquamarine color. Orihime looked up to see that her friends were gone, leaving her alone with the ugly black worm.

She woke to clanging. She groggily lifted her head and shifted her body to see where the noise came from. She was startled to see a table that appeared to have plates of food atop it. They were covered in silver dish domes just like in her dream.

Ulquiorra Schiffer stood next to it, staring at Orihime. He patiently waited as she grew more aware of her surroundings. When she finally stood up from the couch, he said, "This is your first meal of the day. You will eat."

Startled at the command, Orihime looked at the table. If she ate food from Las Noches, would this make her even more of a traitor? She remembered what the worm said in her dream—that she was no longer welcome to eat with her friends. Her heart filled with regret. She unhurriedly stepped closer to the food, with thoughts of worms crawling around her mind. Surely they wouldn't put a worm in her food?

"You are clearly hesitant to eat. It is not poisoned if that is your concern," Ulquiorra stated.

Orihime had not thought of that. She looked at the food then shifted her eyes back at him. He was looking straight at her, and this made her nervous; what if he was lying to her? "I, uh…" she started to say. "I am not hungry," she lied.

"Impossible. You have not eaten in almost 24 hours. I watched your movements closely before you came to Hueco Mundo. You must eat, or your condition will eventually become unsuitable."

"Unsuitable?"

"Yes. You must remain healthy for Aizen-sama's purposes."

She did not like the way that sounded. She looked at the food again.

"You will eat," he said again.

Something suddenly dawned on her. "Wait…you…_watched_ me?" She thought back to the point at which her lips were so close to Ichigo's. She had been so afraid to seal the kiss for so many reasons. She was afraid that he might wake. She was afraid of embarrassment. But most of all, she was afraid of the possibility of it being the only kiss she would ever give him, and she couldn't bear to accept that he wasn't even awake to feel it. It was such a private moment, and she had whispered so much into his ear. The fact that someone so unfeeling had been listening incensed her. She wondered how long he had been watching her. Her cheeks turned pink.

"Just how long have you been watching me? _Where_ have you been watching me…?" her voice trailed off. She didn't even want to ask, for fear of discovering just how detailed his notes of her had been. Her face turned a darker shade of pink. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ulquiorra surmised what she was implying. "That would be a waste of my time. I have only been observing you since you first placed that bracelet on your hand, according to the instructions placed by Aizen-sama."

Orihime considered this in relief; but her goodbye, which she had thought had been private, was not. Since the hollow standing before her obviously knew she had not eaten, he had to have witnessed her confessing her love to Ichigo.

"So…you know who I chose to say goodbye to…and what I said?"

"What a silly question. You knew that you were being observed. How else would I have known about your obedience to Aizen-sama's orders?"

"I…suppose you're right." _How could I have been so naïve? I poured my entire heart out to Kurosaku-kun in front of this hollow…perhaps in front of the entirety of Las Noches!_

Ignoring her embarrassment, he continued, "Now, you must eat. I will be back in one hour."

Orihime tried to eat. She took a few bites; she then moved the food around her plate to make it look like she had eaten. When Ulquiorra returned, he stood by the door while a servant removed the table and collected what she had not eaten.

After the servant had left the room, her captor looked at her and blankly stated, "Follow me." He did an about face and walked out the door.

Orihime's thoughts were racing, but she silently followed. She was still thinking about all the things Ulquiorra had overheard her saying to Ichigo. Yet, although she was embarrassed, she was curious about what he must have thought about the things she had said.

Ulquiorra abruptly stopped in front of a door a few yards away from her quarters. "Inside this room, you will find clothing more suitable for your role than your present attire. Aizen-sama ordered that these garments be specially made to fit your…dimensions. He has ordered that you clothe yourself in them as soon as the opportunity was given. Do so quickly."

"Yes, sir."

Upon entering the room, she found the black and white garb folded neatly on a stool. Orihime picked up the garment and observed it. It resembled the attire of everyone else in Las Noches, but it was also unique. She wondered whether they just had patterns of outfits like this lying around, and who had chosen this particular style for her. She reluctantly dressed herself. Wearing uniform similar to that of the hollows solidified her feelings of feeling like a traitor, of crossing sides. She was now one of them. At least its long sleeves would keep her slightly warm in this chilled world. She was relieved to find it modest, unlike some of the other hollow outfits she had seen in passing. Nevertheless, it was still a uniform of the enemy. She folded her regular clothes and exited the place where she had undressed. Ulquiorra was waiting for her outside, his back to her. He glanced over his shoulder, noticed the clothes in her hands and said matter-of-factly, "You will have no need for those anymore. You may leave them on the stool behind you."

Orihime looked down at the clothes she clutched. "What will happen to them?"

"That is of no importance to you; you will never see them again. What does it matter what happens to them?"

She opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. She turned to the little room behind her and gently laid her clothes on the stool…the last connection to the real world she had, apart from her dear hairpins.

"You may now go back to your quarters."

Slowly, Orihime turned her back to him and walked to her room. She stood and looked out of her barred window for a while, slowly processing her circumstances. Ulquiorra's voice startled her.

"What a surprise. It suits you," he commented.

Orihime swirled around, "Oh, uh…um!" she flustered, "how long have you been standing there?" She slightly blushed. _Did he just compliment me?_

"Enough of the blabbering," He stated, annoyed. "You should not leave your door open. Other hollow in this palace are not as compliant as myself. You would do well to mind yourself."

"What?" she asked apprehensively.

"Many hollows do not understand the implications of what it means to follow orders. With the exception of me, all hollows were instructed to leave you be, but there are some who have yet to grasp the concept of obedience. I was instructed by Aizen-sama to be your caretaker until further notice. I assumed that this would require some level of accommodating you. You are slightly above a prisoner, so you are not entirely outside of the realm of being treated as a guest, but do not get too comfortable. You, just like the rest of us, operate under the authority of Aizen-sama, and you will do what is asked of you."

She flinched slightly at what he told her; _I feel like I'm a slave. Why does the room feel so empty, even when he is around?_ She nodded in response to his statement.

"Very well, then. You seem to have taken to understand your role rather quickly— that your purpose is to do the will of Aizen-sama." He paused. Orihime looked down at her feet. Ulquiorra noticed a slight cringe in her body language in response to his words, but her expression was blank. _It would be worthwhile to see just how far she can be prodded,_ he thought. "State it, so that I can be sure you are aware of your duties here."

_I can't believe he's making me say this._ She could feel tears welling up behind her eyelids, but she refused to succumb. She had to give the appearance of being strong so that they would not recognize her hesitancy. _It doesn't mean anything…you have no obligation to be honest with them; though your outward appearances gives the impression that you're with them, your heart does not belong to them. Your heart does not belong to them…_She repeated his words softly, "My purpose is to do the will of Aizen-sama."

Her face was calm as she repeated his words. Ulquiorra seemed satisfied. "Very good. I shall leave you now. A servant will be by later to bring you your supper," and with that, he left her quarters and locked the door behind him.

After making certain he was gone, she allowed her tears to fall. She sobbed quietly for a few minutes. "I really _am_ a traitor," she whispered.

.oOo.

Upon exiting her quarters, Ulquiorra stood outside of her door. _Fascinating,_ he thought. _This woman is ripped from everyone she holds dear, joins forces with the enemy of the man she confesses to love, and still manages to maintain her composure in her current circumstances. This should cause anger and resentment against foreign authorities such as myself at the very least, yet she demonstrates a very open cooperation to everything asked of her. She even recognizes Aizen as her master. Though her actions are clearly a lie, the woman's psychological strength is intriguing…_

His thoughts were interrupted by Nnoitra Gilga. "What a tasty job you have…" he remarked.

Nnoitra's insinuation was annoying. Orihime Inoue was exceedingly attractive, both in face and figure, but Ulquiorra was not the type to give himself to idiocy. As the news of Ulquiorra's task of being caretaker for the woman had leaked out, he had noticed several smirks and narrowed eye movements here and there from some of the male Espada as he headed towards Orihime's quarters. It was because of Ulquiorra's sense of duty and methodical nature that had led to his being chosen for the role. Though Aizen had little concern for the girl herself, he recognized that Ulquiorra was the only Espada who not only would have understood the subtleties of Aizen's instructions, but also that Ulquiorra was not one to allow himself to be distracted by his task. Tia Harribel might have been the second choice, but Aizen sensed that her fraccion was much too catty to allow her to execute the job efficiently. It was important that Aizen choose someone highly analytical, so as to recognize the sensitivity of making Orihime believe she was coming to Hueco Mundo by her own free will. Ulquiorra understood the art of psychological manipulation well, and he knew how to instill fear and authority within others without being overbearing. This sometimes ignited the other Espada, but Ulquiorra was not easily provoked. This made him the perfect candidate for luring the woman to this other dimension. Unsurprisingly, Nnoitra did not understand any of this. Ulquiorra patiently explained to him that it was imperative for the woman to be given the impression that her captors were not only accommodating, but also that she possessed some control over her decisions. This would allow her to reach the conclusion that her purpose would now be determined by Aizen, and would give him access into further manipulating her.

After the conversation with Nnoitra, Ulquiorra walked on with his thoughts continuing to dwell on the woman in the room. _She is strong, and her powers are extraordinary, but surely she must realize that she is in over her head. Yet, if she continues to demonstrate this kind of behavior, perhaps my task won't be as tedious as I imagined..._


	2. Empty Strength

For a while, Orihime's wearisome schedule first consisted of waking up and waiting for a meal. It was often brought by a lower-level hollow, and she was given 45 minutes to an hour to finish. She usually dragged out her meal to give herself something to do. The food wasn't too bad, but she dared not make suggestions, for fear of offending. She thanked the hollow every time he brought her the meal and afterward, but never got a response. She would then sit around or look outside her window, contemplating her circumstances. Sometimes she cried, but she tried to avoid this because she did not want anyone to see her with puffy eyes; she did not want to give the impression of weakness. Many of her thoughts were about her friends in the real world and in Soul Society, but she most often thought about Ichigo. Consumed in her thoughts, she would wait patiently for her second meal. With the exception of the first day, Ulquiorra never came to her first meal. He usually only came to her quarters once a day, if at all, usually during her second meal, to ensure she was eating. He came in a few minutes before the food-bearer, and would announce his presence before coming in. He stood silently by the door as she ate, and left as soon as she finished. They usually did not exchange words. She would eat her meal in silence, feeling awkward at his observation. She would look up at him from time to time to see if he was still observing her eat; he always was, but the expression on his face wasn't one of interest. It possessed an indifferent quality, which made her feel uneasy. She would sometimes go days where her only interaction with another person was with the hollow who brought her the meals.

On the days she did see Ulquiorra, it became more noticeable that he brought a strange, vacant atmosphere to the room whenever he walked in. _Why does the room feel emptier when he's around_…she often wondered. She could feel the room morph into something lighter the minute he left, as if he carried an air of barrenness within him. At first she thought this was the reiatsu of all hollows, but she did not get this feeling with the servant who brought her the food. She inferred that it could be that Ulquiorra's reiatsu was simply much stronger than most other hollow, but this idea soon changed.

Ulquiorra announced himself and entered Orihime's room. He was quiet as usual during her second meal. When she finished, instead of his usual turn-and-leave, he stated, "You will follow me to Aizen-sama. He wishes to speak to you about an important matter."

His voice startled her. She had not heard him say a word to her in weeks other than slight variations of "I'm coming in." She was initially at a loss of words to say, but she realized that this meant leaving the barren room and experiencing something new.

"Yes, of course."

Orihime followed Ulquiorra for about ten minutes. He walked relatively slowly. She noticed that he always seemed to walk at the same pace—he was never in a rush, always controlled. As she walked behind him, she noticed that the peculiar feeling of emptiness seemed to hover about them. It was hardly noticeable, but having been exposed to utter desolateness for several weeks, she grew keen to subtle changes in the atmosphere around her. They walked along two long stretches of corridors and through several smaller doorways. Upon entering a massive space that resembled a throne room, Orihime saw Aizen seated on a chaise at the top of an elegant, ivory staircase. She remembered this room from the first night she came to Las Noches, when Aizen showed her the Hyogoku and asked her to repair it. Throughout her long weeks in her small chambers, she had made up her mind to destroy the existence of the powerful stone, but upon realizing her circumstances, she lost hope in her plan.

As they walked through the huge doorway leading into Aizen's throne room, the feeling of emptiness that emanated from Ulquiorra grew less noticeable. She observed other higher-ranked hollows in the room as the empty sensation continued to grow dim. She didn't know what she felt now, with the exception of intimidation. Remaining expressionless, she wondered if perhaps the other hollow had similar auras they carried within them. As Orihime followed Ulquiorra to the foot of the staircase, Aizen spoke.

"Welcome once more, Orihime. How has your stay in Las Noches been? Adequate, I trust? I know you must find your stay in that room awfully boring, but I'm sure you can understand that our current priorities haven't exactly been directed towards the entertainment of our guests."

"Yes, sir."

"And your meals? I expect they meet the real world's standards?"

"Yes, sir."

"And I expect you find your new attire suitable? I chose the design of your dress myself. I hope you find it comfortable."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Aizen reclined in his chair, "Very good. Well, now, if you don't mind, I have a few questions about your powers."

Orihime nodded. She noticed in her peripheral vision that there were several other hollows staring at her. Ulquiorra was standing to the left of her, looking at Aizen.

"When did you first receive your powers?"

"Several months ago."

"How did you receive them?"

"They just sort of came to me. The Shun Shun Rikka explained who they were and obeyed my will. Urahara-san later explained to me that they existed to assist me in my powers."

"I see," Aizen retained the same expression. "And how often do you use your powers?"

"Well, mainly I use my powers to heal. Usually, I only use them when my friends are injured, or if I am protecting someone."

"I see. Well, you have a very extraordinary power. What about your offensive abilities?"

Orihime hesitated. She shifted her gaze and focused on a step on the staircase across from her. "Well, when I have…fought…" Orihime thought very carefully about her words. The only thing she could think of was how useless her offensive abilities were, and how she did not want to appear weak to those standing around her. Though she knew her powers were indeed unique, she always had Ichigo or someone else around protecting her, so she never got a real chance to develop her offensive skills. Nevertheless, she still felt that even if she would have had a chance to develop her abilities, she could never match those of Rukia, Ishida, or Chad, and especially not Ichigo. But she didn't want to admit this in front of a room full of people who could each annihilate her in one blow. She decided to take a very vague approach with her answer. "My offensive abilities," she stated, "just like my healing and protective abilities, are also connected to the Shun Shun Rikka. It consists of..."

But as Orihime was speaking, Aizen stood up and looked down at her. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from his throne and stood but a few feet away from her. He gave her a few seconds to process his location before he took a step towards her. The expression on his face suggested that he knew she was hiding something. Orihime, startled and helpless, only looked up at him.

Very casually, Aizen gave her a crooked smirk and spoke. "Orihime Inoue. How would you like for your powers to be strengthened?"

.oOo.


	3. Laughter

It took several seconds for Orihime to comprehend what Aizen had just suggested. "Excuse me?" she squeaked. She could hear murmuring from the people around her. She looked around and spotted Ulquiorra staring at her in the same, monotonous expression; it was absolutely unreadable.

"I said," Aizen replied, "how would you like for your powers to be strengthened? I have the capability to do this. All of the hollows in this room have benefited from the powers I have given them. You have already made a decision to follow me." He paused. "To enhance your abilities would only be the next natural step."

Orihime's heart and thoughts raced. _If I refuse , he'll know for sure that my heart isn't truly in the alliance I have made with him! If I accept his offer, that would make me an absolute traitor to Kurosaki-kun and my friends! And who knows what kind of effects his power would have on me? What kind of monster would I turn into? And who knows the kinds of things he would make me do…would this mean I would have to become a hollow?_ She shuddered at the thought.

Aizen interrupted her thoughts. "You do not need to make the decision now. I will give you some time to decide. However, if you refuse…" He took another step towards her and spoke in a softer tone, "…just understand that the power of the Hogyoku is also quite extraordinary. There are ways to mimic powers already in existence. It is a nuisance, however, and the results are better when I improve upon existing abilities rather than from scratch. Nevertheless, Orihime…just be forewarned that you are not entirely irreplaceable."

His intimidation was astounding—she could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Very good. You are dismissed. Ulquiorra will escort you back to your room." Within a flash, he was once again at the highest seat in the room. There was more murmuring from those around her. Other hollows also slowly popped out of the room, one by one. She noticed Grimmjow Jammerjaques giving her an arrogant smirk as she walked by him, but she ignored him and kept walking.

She and Ulquiorra walked side by side outside of the doorway. She looked down at the floor as she walked. As soon as they had walked a few yards away from Aizen's throne room, Grimmjow appeared before her and blocked her path. He gave her a wide, threatening grin.

"So, are you gonna accept?" he teased.

Orihime's cheek turned slightly pink. She chose her words with caution. "I will use the time Aizen-sama graciously gave me to weigh out my options. I have always wanted to improve my powers through my own efforts, but Aizen-sama's offer is very, very tempting."

Grimmjow guffawed and cursed. "He's giving you the offer of a lifetime, and you're talking about doing it on your own? I can't believe this girl!"

During the course of Orihime and Grimmjow's exchange, Ulquiorra had continued walking. He paused and turned towards them, "I would advise you to refrain from speaking to her any longer. She was instructed by Aizen-sama to return to her quarters."

"Who was talking to you?" Grimmjow barked.

Ulquiorra retained his blank expression and merely replied, "As I said, Aizen-sama gave an order, and I am seeing to it that she obeys without delay. You would do well to do the same. Don't you have some work to do?"

Sneering, Grimmjow took several steps forward and cursed.

Unfazed, Ulquiorra turned around. "Woman, you were instructed to return to your quarters. I suggest you leave this babbler in the hallway and follow me."

"Are you _trying_ to start something, Ulquiorra?" It was clear that he was itching for a fight; Grimmjow looked as though he would draw his sword at any minute.

"I do not have time for these games. They are a waste of energy, and I do not engage in bouts with trash."

"You son of a…"

But they were interrupted by Gin Ichimaru.

"Well, well, well. Seems like I can hardly leave ya alone for a minute before you go around chasin' the girls, huh?" Gin remarked.

Grimmjow turned up his nose. "I was just on my way out."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were." Gin retorted. "Any more delays an' I'll have to have a word with Tousen about this." Gin's eyes opened slightly to reveal tiny menacing slits.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. He briefly looked down at his left hand and rolled his eyes. "No one around here likes to have any fun." He sheathed his sword and disappeared.

Gin looked over at Ulquiorra and Orihime with a smirk. "Have a good night," he stated provocatively, and disappeared.

Ulquiorra put his hands in his pockets and continued walking as if nothing happened. Orihime followed, her thoughts flying, reasoning, justifying, and grieving. However, she was not so distracted as to ignore that the emptiness had returned once more. This annoyed her; was her desperate situation making her more susceptible to gloom? She looked up to face the back of his head. _I wonder whether he knew that Aizen was going to give me this ultimatum. Even if he did, he wouldn't have told me. He seems like the kind of person who keeps secrets._ Orihime reflected on this. She laughed internally. _Not because it's a secret, but because he doesn't care about secrets. Ulquiorra-kun telling me secrets…_She thought of him whispering little gossip stories into her ear. This notion was so foreign to his character that Orihime couldn't help but smile. But then her smile turned into a very soft chuckle, and this turned into an audible giggle.

"May I ask what it is you find so hilarious?" Ulquiorra's voice shattered her thoughts.

She immediately composed herself and solemnly answered "Oh, nothing…" She was tempted to say, "It's a secret," but decided against it.

"Something must have made you laugh. You were just given a very humorless ultimatum. What could you possibly find funny at such a time?" He stopped and turned his head around to look at her. The expression on his face was very serious, but this only made it worse. She decided that the only way to keep a straight face was to look at the ground.

When she didn't answer, Ulquiorra turned back around and scoffed.

Orihime remained composed throughout the rest of the walk to her room. When they arrived, she mumbled a brief thank you and goodbye to her escort. He said nothing, but upon looking at his face again, she quickly turned around, trying her best to suppress her laughter. As soon as the door closed, she walked to the opposite end of the room and let out a very loud and long laugh.

"I can't believe….I'm laughing at a time like this, but his face was _so_ funny!"

After a few minutes of composing herself, she sighed. "I haven't laughed like that in a while…" She brought her thoughts back to the reason behind the lack of laughter, and the coldness that had briefly escaped her returned.

_I have to think about what I need to do. I only have two options, and my heart is telling me to refuse. I don't want his help. Even though I'm a traitor, I'm really here to protect my friends, and by accepting Aizen's offer, there's no telling what could happen. What if I forget about my friends and turn out to be a real traitor? He said that he could strengthen my powers. What did he mean? I can already reject almost anything. The only thing I've never been able to reject was Tsubaki's death, but Ushoda-san helped me with that when he brought him back to life, and now I am capable of the same._

But then her thoughts drifted to the day Ulquiorra had showed up in Karakura Town with the hollow Yammy. She thought about how much she wanted to protect Ichigo, but couldn't. She was simply too weak.

_I'm absolutely useless. All I can do is heal._ She thought back to several weeks ago when she had sworn to herself that she would find a use for her powers and reject the existence of the Hogyoku. _If Aizen strengthens my powers, I may not even need to be around the stone to reject its existence. What if I do retain all of my thoughts and feelings after I accept Aizen's help?_ She paused, crossed her arms, and began rubbing her shoulders. _What if…what if I my offensive abilities grow stronger as a result?_ Her heart fluttered._ I have always wanted to become stronger. And I could truly protect my friends, especially if my inward allegiances don't change. Yet, Aizen is very crafty, and he is not to be trusted. His helping me is surely part of some master plan of his, and I know that he's probably already calculated what my powers can do to deflect his plans. I cannot trust him._

_Nevertheless, it truly is a tempting offer…_

.oOo.

When Orihime had shut the door in his face, Ulquiorra was shocked to hear muffled laughter coming from within her room. _Ridiculous,_ he thought._ She has just been given the choice between life and death, yet she is humoring herself. I have heard that some humans resort to laughter as defense mechanisms. Yet, the woman has not demonstrated this type of behavior since her arrival in Las Noches. Perhaps she is beginning to suffer from a breakdown? This is unfortunate for Aizen. I will interrogate her tomorrow. If anything is amiss, I will report it._

.oOo.

Ulquiorra came to her quarters during the second meal the next day, before the servant came in with food. "I am outside. I am coming in," he warned.

Orihime was standing by the window, looking outwards. She didn't bother to look back at him. She knew that the servant would be inside within minutes to drop off the food. Apart from her usual "Hello," there was always an awkward silence between the time that he arrived and the time that the servant came indoors. As expected, the servant came, but before he left, Ulquiorra addressed him.

"Today you will wait for my orders to pick up the woman's dishes. I wish to have a word with her, and I do not want to be interrupted."

"Yes, sir," the servant replied.

Orihime looked up curiously at Ulquiorra._ I wonder if this has to do with Aizen's ultimatum…is he expecting an answer from me so soon?_

Ulquiorra merely stood by the door, as usual. When he saw that she did not approach the table, he blankly stated, "You will eat first, and then I shall have a word with you."

Orihime hated being ordered to eat. She walked to the usual chair, sat down, and began to eat. She noticed that he was staring at her differently. Usually when he watched her eat, it was with an indifferent expression, as though he was merely there to ensure that she remained nourished. Today, he was studying her. His eyes were very slightly narrower, and his gaze was more intent. It was barely noticeable, but she felt it, and though it made her uncomfortable, she dared not ask him about it.

She ate her food a little more quickly today, both out of curiosity and out of discomfort. "I'm done," she said when finished.

"Very well, then. I wish to have a word with you about yesterday."

Orihime quickly replied, "I know that Aizen-sama said he would give me time, and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but this is honestly too soon for me to make a decision…"

Ulquiorra cut her off, "Not about that."

Orihime gave him a quizzical expression.

"I am talking about your laughter in the hallway."

"My…" Orihime thought for several seconds before she realized what he was talking about. _How could that possibly hold any importance?_ "Oh! That!" She gave a false chuckle and flapped her hand up and down at him. "That was nothing…"

"Do not hide it. I must know why you laughed so that I can make an accurate judgment about your psychological state."

"My…" her voice trailed off. She was confused.

"Yes. You were just given an ultimatum, and you began laughing but a few minutes afterward. At first I thought it was some sort of defense mechanism, but you have not displayed that type of behavior in the past. It is understandable for someone in your position to begin showing signs of instability."

"Instability? I, uh…no, not at all!" Now she understood. She was supposed to stay healthy, and suffering a breakdown would be bad for Aizen. _How am I going to explain what I was laughing at without sounding like a total dummy?_ She remained silent before she started to speak, "You see…what I was laughing at was…well…I was just…just…well…thinking of something funny, that's all," she mustered. She felt sweat forming on her brow.

Ulquiorra's expression remained the same. "And what was that?"

"You mean, what was funny?"

"Yes. That is the exact question I asked you in the hallway, but you refused to answer. You then laughed once more when you were inside your room."

Orihime blushed. _I was that loud? _

When she remained silent, he responded, "If you do not tell me the reason for your laughter, I will assume that you really are suffering from some sort of mental instability. This will be unfortunate for Aizen. The ultimatum he gave you yesterday may be revoked. I'm sure you understand what this means."

She looked down at the ground. _This is embarrassing. Does he really not understand laughter? What will he do when I tell him I was laughing at him?_

He started to turn to leave, but Orihime quickly spoke up, "OK, OK. I'll tell you. It's just that it's a little…embarrassing, that's all."

Ulquiorra remained silent.

"Well…I was laughing at, what I was laughing at…what I thought was funny was, well…"she sighed, flustered. Her cheeks turned pink. Still looking at the ground, she softly replied, "I was thinking about…you… and then I laughed," she said quietly. Her cheeks grew red.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "You were thinking of me, and then you laughed," he repeated.

"Yes."

"How is this possible? What have I done to make you laugh?"

Her cheeks were on fire. "Well, it's not something you've done…it's more like something you _haven't _done."

"Elaborate."

His sober look was not helping. She sighed. "Well, after Aizen offered to strengthen my powers, I was sort of wondering whether you knew about all of it beforehand. And then I thought to myself, 'Ulquiorra wouldn't tell me about it even if he did know, because… because…well, because…"

Orihime looked up at him, but he remained with the same expression on his face, with his eyebrow cocked.

"…because I figured that you are the kind of person who keeps secrets," she quickly added, looking down again, "but not because they're secrets. I mean, well, what I mean is that…you don't seem to be the type of person who cares about something being a _secret_; it's just that you keep secrets because it's your duty or because you have no use for revealing any information to anyone…" She looked at him again. He seemed to be interested in what she was saying, but she couldn't tell because his expression hadn't changed.

"Anyway, when I got to thinking about this, what I thought was funny was, well…I thought of you…" she gulped hard, "telling me secrets, and well, I thought that the idea of you telling me any kind of…_gossipy _sort of secret was so utterly against your character, and I just thought it was really funny. Well, I just laughed because I thought it was it was ridiculous."

At some point in her dialogue, he had gone back to his usual stoic expression. After hearing her entire explanation, he merely looked at her and said, "It is."

He turned, faced the door, and began walking out of the room. Orihime stood still with her cheeks still burning. She could feel her stomach digesting the food she had eaten, and she felt humiliated. _Now that I think about it, it wasn't that funny._ She suddenly felt very tired.

As Ulquiorra turned around and locked the door, he could see her walking over to the couch. _What absolute nonsense,_ he thought._ From where does she get these odd notions? The idea of me telling her a secret is not humorous at all. It is an idea to be dismissed. Still, she was correct in identifying the nature of my character. It is notable considering how little about me she knows. And it is convenient that she is mentally intact. Nevertheless, I may still have to monitor her more closely for a few weeks to be certain_. As he walked into the hallways, his thoughts passively dwelled on the woman in the room.

.oOo.


	4. Lamentation

Orihime sat on the couch for a long time, hoping that Ulquiorra wouldn't be back during her meal later that night. She began thinking about her decision once more and wondered how much time Aizen would give her. She thought about asking Ulquiorra, but after their exchange that day, she was too embarrassed to even look at him. Her thoughts drifted again to everyone she left behind in the real world. _I wonder what everyone is doing. I wonder what they think of me…that I'm a traitor, of course._ She missed Ichigo very much. She thought back to the night she had said goodbye to him. _Maybe I should have kissed him…If he knew why I came here, would he forgive me? If I accept help from Aizen…would he forgive me? _Depressed, she lay down on the sofa and didn't wake up until she heard a knock on her door.

That day, Ulquiorra came once again to her third meal. When he announced himself, Orihime was surprised._ I didn't expect him to come again so soon._

She decided that it was absolutely necessary that she know how much time she would be given to make her decision. _But what if Ulquiorra refuses to tell me?_ She sighed. She did not want to see him today, but she needed to know.

When he walked in, he saw Orihime seated on her pale blue couch, fiddling with her hands and looking at the floor. Her long, orange hair covered her face just enough so that he could barely see her profile. The servant came in several seconds later. Throughout her meal, Orihime was thinking of ways to phrase her question. "Ulquiorra-kun…may I ask you a question?" _No…_"I was wondering if I could please ask you a question…" _No…maybe I should just ask right away, instead of asking to ask a question._

As soon as she had finished her food, Ulquiorra turned to leave.

"Wait!" Orihime yelped. _Maybe that was too loud._

Ulquiorra stopped and turned his head so that she could see his profile. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well, I was wondering…that is, I wanted to ask you…if you knew exactly how much time Aizen-sama is giving me to make my decision."

"You need not worry about that. He will relay the time frame to me when he sees fit, and I will instruct you of your deadline at the appropriate time."

"Do you have any idea when that might be?"

"As I stated, you need not preoccupy yourself with time frames. Aizen-sama is aware of your circumstances. He will choose appropriately. "

"I see," she said, disappointedly. "Thank you."

Ulquiorra turned his head to face the door as he left her with a statement: "Your decision is not a difficult one. If it is your wish to strengthen your abilities on your own, it will take you several hundred years before you can cultivate it to resemble anything even remotely close to what Aizen-sama can do for your powers. Your hesitation is unwarranted, but this is no surprise considering you are human." Without waiting for a response, he exited and locked the door.

Once outside, he walked along the hallway and thought, _I didn't expect her to communicate with me so soon after previous events. Nevertheless, Aizen's offer has worried her. She is obviously lying about wanting to develop her abilities on her own. She does not trust Aizen, and is merely giving the appearance of having crossed sides. She hesitates to agree probably because she believes that any transformation on her part will mean that she is truly a traitor. Nevertheless, by extending his hand, Aizen has allowed her to be exposed to the idea that she can be considered a comrade amongst the hollows. I have no doubt that she has the potential to become just as powerful as at least an Espada of rank 7. Aizen's next step will be to tempt her with this fact. He will surely coax her into approving, but it must be done by her own free will, else the transformation may not be as effective, and her powers may not reach their full potential. It will be another month before he calls on her again, but she does not know this. This will give her plenty of time to muse over her decision, further giving the appearance of having a choice, but this is because she does not know the extent to which her powers will be transformed. In any event, her hesitation is expected for a human. The answer is quite obvious, but she refuses._

.oOo.

For the next few weeks, Orihime felt as though she was being driven mad. When she wasn't bored, she was depressed, and when she was depressed, she slept. She noticed that Ulquiorra came to her quarters every day now, watching her eat and then leaving. Every day she expected him to say something about the time frame, but he never did.

_How long is this going to last?_ she whined, exasperated._ I'm starting to get very bored here. At first I was just frightened all the time, but now I'm just getting used to this routine. I wish there was someone to talk to for just a little bit…the only people who ever see me are Ulquiorra-kun and the servant. I know that the servant would probably be executed if he talked to me, and I don't want to be responsible for getting him into trouble. And talking to Ulquiorra-kun is out of the question. He wouldn't so much as humor me for a minute. And I still haven't made my decision about whether or not I want to let Aizen change my powers. And most of all, I miss Kurosaki-kun. I bet he is training very hard right now. I bet everyone is. If I were there, I would probably just be in the way. Maybe it is better that I am here…but now I have to make a very complicated decision that will sever my ties with them forever…_

Orihime clutched her chest.

_Kurosaki-kun…what if I could make a shield so impenetrable, that nothing could get past it? How would you feel if I could protect you, for once? But I know the kind of person you are. You won't want to be protected._ She smiled. _You like to do the protecting. Thanks to you, I am alive today._ Her thoughts suddenly grew very sad. _And what have I done? I have betrayed you…_She began crying, sobbing. _I hate myself…I am absolutely useless to everyone, and I have betrayed the one who has been there to save my life. Maybe it is better if I refuse Aizen and just be killed. Better a martyr among friends than a living comrade among enemies,_ she sobbed.

All of her feelings came crashing together and she began crying about everything— about her circumstances, about her boredom, about her betrayal. She had not cried so much since her first night in Las Noches. She was so immersed with her sobbing that she did not notice Ulquiorra's voice announcing his presence.

He stood watching her for several moments, mildly intrigued. _She is weeping. Though my eye has witnessed these displays of emotion in the past, I have yet to witness a human's display of emotions so closely._ After several moments of observation, he suddenly he spoke, "If you are not prepared to eat, the servant can return at a later time."

Orihime gasped. She was shocked to hear another voice in the room. This was her first meal of the day! He never came earlier than her second meal. _This is even more embarrassing than my laughing the other day! _It took her several moments before she composed herself. Still not fully collected, she replied, "Excuse me? I didn't hear what you said."

"I do not have the time to watch you compose yourself. I will tell the servant to come at a later time. I have observed that it is customary for humans to be alone when they weep. Since this is usual for you, you may eat at a later time."

Orihime hiccupped. She considered this. She was hungry, and she did not want him to think that she needed extra time to act like a fool.

"No..." _hiccup_ "…I'm fine." There was snot in her nose and on her upper lip. Thankfully, the servant came in just then and she walked over to retrieve a handkerchief to wipe her nose and eyes. The time intervals between her hiccups grew shorter.

Ulquiorra stared at her irritably and commented, "You should drink something. The sounds you are making are distracting."

Orihime merely looked at him. _Distracting from what? All you do is stand there._ She took her glass of water and began to drink and then sat down. _My eyes probably look horrible right now. This is so bad. I've tried so hard to maintain my composure throughout my stay here. He probably thinks I'm so weak._

As she began to eat, her hiccups subsided. Ulquiorra studied her as she ate. When she was finished, she politely stated, "I apologize for my behavior a while ago. It will not happen again."

"Why is it that you decided to cry until now?"

"What?"

"You have not demonstrated such a display of emotion throughout your stay here. Why do you choose to succumb to your emotions at this point?"

Orihime was annoyed at this question. _Why can't he just leave like he always does?_ She decided to tell him the truth. Perhaps that would satisfy him and he would go away.

"I don't know. I guess it's just the stress of making the decision, my boredom, and well, the fact that I don't know when Aizen-sama is going to tell me the timeline. It's a little maddening."

"This cannot be the sole reason. I have never witnessed a human crying because of boredom."

Orihime thought about Ichigo, and how much she missed him. She could feel her eyes start watering, but she decided to make light of the situation. "Actually, have you ever heard of the expression of being 'bored to tears'?" She gave him a cheesy smile.

He looked at her blankly.

"Nevermind," there was an awkward silence. Her eyes grew distant. "I actually have cried because of boredom before. When I was little, I used to love going outside and playing in the park with my older brother. Once, we went outside every day for an entire month, just enjoying ourselves and the weather. And then, for an entire week it rained. I had grown so used to going outside that I didn't know what to do. On the third day of rain, I was so bored, I cried. My brother then cheered me up by teaching me how to make soup. After that, I became obsessed with learning how to make soup, and several different dishes, and when the sun came out, I was too preoccupied with my new interest in cooking that I forgot all about it." She gave a very weak chuckle. "Anyway," she continued, "I don't mean to complain. I just thought of many different things at once. It's really easy to slip into deep thoughts when there is nothing else to do."

Ulquiorra stared at her. She had shared this piece of information so freely.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. She quickly asked the question before she grew too afraid to ask.

"Do they have playing cards here in Hueco Mundo?"

"What?"

"Playing cards. I don't mean to impose, but if I could get some…it might…well, I could keep my mind preoccupied. "

Ulquiorra considered this. _It is good that I decided to catch her off guard today. I expected that something like this might happen. Perhaps keeping her mind preoccupied will prevent a breakdown. Playing cards might allow her to keep herself from the outbursts she underwent earlier. If her requests are accepted, this would give even more of an impression that Aizen is sympathetic. She may be less reluctant to deny his request in these circumstances._" I do not forsee any problems with your request. I will bring it to the attention of Aizen-sama."

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed heartily. She couldn't help but give him a smile.

He noticed the sincerity of her response and stated, "I was ordered to attend to the state of your well-being. This includes ensuring the equilibrium of your psychological and emotional state. It is meaningless to thank me."

"I know, but…well, I'm used to thanking people in these types of situations."

"But you have never been in such a situation. You have never been captured, never been imprisoned, and never made to leave behind your life."

She was no longer smiling. She did not know how to respond. _Is he actually arguing with me about thanking him?_ "I just…I'm so used to it, and it seemed like the most appropriate thing to say."

Ulquiorra briefly processed her words. "I will be back tomorrow at the regular time."

He turned and left, locking the door behind him.

As he walked on, he thought of their exchange. _Curious. She did not get defensive when I asked her about thanking me. She had just suffered from an emotional outburst, yet she is able to exercise composure very quickly. I also would have expected her to have undergone this behavior much earlier. Despite the outburst, she still maintains a significant amount of control over herself, and did not agree to being left alone._

Ulquiorra reflected back on the night he had given her the ultimatum. He remembered that she did not immediately seek him out upon saying her goodbye to Ichigo. _This contradicts her secretive behavior on the night she exited the real world. Did she go off by herself after saying goodbye to the substitute shinigami because she did not wish for me to see her weep? Yet, she did not want to be left alone several moments ago. Her behavior is rather inconsistent._

Ulquiorra did not immediately speculate on the matter further, but he also understood that the girl was starting to exhibit signs of distress. He wondered just how significant the playing cards would change her behavior. _Yet, humans are easily distracted, and she obviously understands this about herself._

He discussed the matter of the playing cards with Aizen.

"I decided to observe her meals at an earlier time than usual to ensure that her behavior was consistent at all times throughout the day."

"And what did you observe?" Aizen inquired.

"She was exhibiting signs of grief. She was sobbing hysterically and it appeared as though she had been crying for a while before I had come in to the room. She did not even hear me announce myself."

"Did she seem normal?"

"Yes. I was just a bit surprised that this hasn't happened sooner. I expected humans to be more fragile."

"Many might typically exhibit these signs earlier. You mentioned earlier that she can control herself well. However, do not take it so seriously, Ulquiorra. I do not need a report every time she sheds a tear."

"Yes, of course. However, my reason for bringing this to your attention is that she requested for playing cards."

"Playing cards?"

"Yes. She said that part of the reason for her outburst was that she was bored. I believe it to be more involved than this, yet she said that the cards at least would keep her mind occupied. It might prevent her from these outbursts becoming a habit, and would also make you appear to seem more sympathetic. The only problem I forsee with this request is that she may begin to feel that she can request whatever she likes, but I do not believe her to be so foolish."

"Yes, she is not the type of human to be prone to arrogance. You may give her the playing cards, and any other minor requests she may ask. I would like a report on whether she makes any more requests, but I do not need the emotional details."

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. You are dismissed."

.oOo.


	5. The Deck

_Edit: I noticed that a lot of people stopped reading this fic after this chapter and was really curious as to why this was happening. Then I finally re-read the chapter and basically did a facepalm. My previous author's note really made it sound like this story was not going to be finished. This is FALSE. Rest assured, I am not a troll and I will dutifully finish what I started! I seriously cannot stand it when I get really into a fic, get to the last chapter and then discover that it hasn't been updated in two years. WHAT THE DEUCE? Heck no! _

_In any event, I really need to be more careful about my author's notes. -_-;;; I apologize for any confusion._

Oh, and one more thing: As if it isn't already obvious, I don't own Bleach or the characters...forgot to mention that in the previous chapters.

On with the show!

* * *

><p>Orihime's boredom set in once more the following day. <em>Even though I'm really getting irritated with boredom, I'm starting to think it was a mistake to ask for those cards. How random…I mean, what was I thinking? Anyway, it was interesting having someone to talk to, even if it was just for a few minutes, and even though he looked like he was not at all interested in what I had to say. At least it was<em> something _different._ She began walking around her room, pacing. _What if I started, just…talking to him? I'm obviously not going to get those cards…what a silly request, now that I think of it…who even PLAYS cards here? I really can't be impulsive in a place like this. But I'm dying for some kind of company! And he's basically the only person I CAN talk to. But I'd be silly to try to strike up a conversation with him. I shouldn't even be thinking about doing it_. She thought about her friends in the real world. _No, I can't. To try to communicate with him would be completely disloyal…but I just feel like I need SOME kind of interaction with someone, and it felt so good to have an actual conversation with someone. Even if I did try making a conversation with him, what could we possibly talk about?_ She paced around some more.

She snapped her fingers. "I know!" she exclaimed.

.oOo.

Ulquiorra had announced his presence at her third meal. Orihime was very hesitant to ask him the question she had prepared. She anxiously stood up from her couch. She decided that she would wait until after she was done eating to ask him her question, if at all. She readied herself internally, carefully picking out the words she would use so that the question wouldn't sound stupid. _Why am I so nervous? My stomach is fluttering. I haven't felt this since—_

But Ulquiorra interrupted her thoughts after he had seen her finish the last of her drink.

"Now that you are finished, I can deliver this to you and be on my way."

A puzzled expression stretched across her face.

"Your playing cards." He slowly walked over to where she was seated, and dropped them into her open palm. She stood staring at them, slightly perplexed, and disappointed.

He noticed her expression. "Isn't this what you requested?"

"I…oh, yes! This is exactly what I requested…thank you," she answered, still gazing at the cards in her hand.

"But your expression is one of disappointment. "

_How does he read my expressions so well?_

"Oh, no! It's not that I'm disappointed or anything," she lied, "It's just that I'm, well…shocked. I didn't expect you to get them for me. To be honest, I was thinking about it, and my request was really very inappropriate. I said it on impulse." She took the cards out of the pack and began sifting through them. "But they are very nice cards. Thank you."

"Very well." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Orihime said, impulsively. She immediately regretted it. _What are you doing? He gave you the cards already! You don't need to ask him any questions now._But it was already too late.

"Another request?" _Perhaps I was incorrect about assuming that she would not make a habit out of this,_he thought.

"No, not at all! I was…well, I was just wondering—" but Ulquiorra cut her off.

"Your deadline is not yet decided." He began walking out.

"No, that's not what I was going to ask…" her voice trailed off.

He turned and looked at her.

"Well, I was just, curious about something. I am in this room an awful lot, and well, I start to notice things."

"There is something the matter with the room?"

"No, not really," _at least, functionally_, she thought. _The room is so bare and drab, but I am not going to say that._"It's just that, well…I sort of noticed something about…you…when you come into the room, and I was wondering if maybe it was just me. I'm starting to get worried that maybe I'm imagining things, and well, I thought I should bring this to your attention since you're supposed to be keeping tabs on this sort of thing and all…ha, ha…" She put her hands behind her back and shrugged, aware of the oddity of what she was telling him.

He gave her a familiar cocked eyebrow.

"Well, this room is very…" she chose her words cautiously. She did not want them to be perceived as insulting. "…quiet, and I've gotten really used to the level of stillness of the room," she looked up at him.

"Well," she continued, "as you can tell by the walls and furniture, it is also a barren room, heh…not that I am complaining or anything," she waved and crossed her hands at the word _not._ "But, well, spending so much time here has helped me notice that the atmosphere of the room tends to get, I don't know, _emptier_ when you're around. This is really odd, too, because you'd sort of expect another person in the room to, you know, add _less_ emptiness to the room, not more." She sighed. "Heh, heh, I'm probably not making any sense. Yet, then I noticed that it's not just the room, because when we walked through the hallways, I could sense it then, too, but only around you specifically. And, well, when we got to the room with the other hollows, it was difficult to detect. I really would not have mentioned it, except for the fact that I've been getting a lot more sensitive to it, and well, it's just been growing so much more _obvious_lately."

His eyebrow had not moved.

Orihime went on, "And I also thought that, you know…" _I must sound so crazy right now_. Out of nervousness, she began to talk faster, "It could be a hollow thing, but I don't sense it when the servant comes around, so then I thought, maybe it has to do with a hollow's rank or something, and I didn't really want to ask him about it, because he's never said a word to me, and I wasn't sure whether or not he could get in trouble for talking to me, and I wanted to avoid that, so then I thought, —

"Enough!"

Orihime stopped in midsentence, with her mouth open and eyebrows raised.

"You are babbling, and it's annoying."

"I'm sorry," she said after a pause. "But what about my question? Am I just imagining things?"

He gazed at her, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You are not mistaken, if that is what you are asking me. But it is no use to think on it any longer. If my presence bothers you, then I am afraid that is something you must—"

"Oh, no! Your presence doesn't bother me at all!" she immediately cried. Her eyes grew wide. The moment the words had left her lips, she realized what a mistake it was to utter them. There was an element of truth to her words. Having someone around was better than no one, but she knew she had mostly said what she said out of habitual politeness. It was her character to make everyone she knew feel as comfortable around her as possible, always making excuses for herself, always apologizing, and never wanting to be rude or offensive. But, to tell the man that was her captor that his presence did not bother her, bothered her. It gave the impression that she _wanted_ him around, and this was inappropriate and awkward. She knew that he did not care whether she liked having him around or not, but his knowledge that she didn't mind having him around would change the dynamic of their relationship in a way about which she wasn't exactly certain. And she couldn't very well go back on what she said. _What can I tell him now? 'Nevermind, I don't want you here?' I mean, he wouldn't care, but I would never say something like that to him…_

Nevertheless, he was an enigma, and anything he did carried an element of mystery to it. It was interesting to see how he would react to her questions. Her curiosity about him grew since the moment she had noticed the emptiness; now that she had actually surmised correctly about his character, she felt an inner sense of victory, as if she had solved some small section of a larger puzzle. It gave her a sense of satisfaction.

"Nonsense. You say this in feigned decorum."

"I find it hard to believe myself, to be honest. But I really don't mind it at all. You're the only person I ever get to talk to, even if it is only for a few minutes a day. I guess this also keeps me preoccupied." There was another pause. Orihime continued, "Anyway, I've probably wasted enough of your time today. You probably have more important things to do."

Before Ulquiorra could respond, the servant came in, looking surprised to see Ulquiorra standing in the room.

"My apologies. I did not mean to interrupt, sir."

"I was just leaving," Ulquiorra muttered, and walked out.

.oOo.

_The woman's senses of hollow attributes are superlative,_ Ulquiorra concluded after he had left. He walked outside, along one of the palace's terraces. _She was able to sense my aspect of death. It is certain that other hollows' attributes confused her the day she spoke with Aizen. There were other hollow in the room that would have interfered with her perceptions, which explains why she claimed she could not sense it around them. Yet, she was able to pinpoint a characteristic particular only to me. This is very impressive for a human._ His analysis continued. _It is probable that the woman is lying about my presence not bothering her. Yet, her expression belied any sign of falsity. If she was telling the truth, she is more foolish than I thought. It would, however, make sense that interaction with another person would give her some freedom from boredom. And there is still the issue with her emotional outburst the other day. There is an inconsistency between her isolation in the real world and allowing me to see her weep._

Her behavior was growing interestingly more useful in acquiring additional knowledge about the nature of humans.

.oOo.

When the servant left, Orihime clasped her hands behind her back and paced around the room. _Why do I keep throwing myself into embarrassing situations over and over again? I just basically told him that I want him to visit me…_

Orihime thought about what his visits could mean. She looked at the cards. _I should be happy that I have them. I guess I was excited about the prospect of having someone to talk to…but, I just can't._


	6. Marvel

When Ulquiorra announced himself the following day, he walked in to find Orihime making a relatively complicated structure with the cards she had been given. _She is skilled in these mundane activities, _he mused. She avidly concentrated on placing two cards at the top of a house of cards. Her tongue stuck out and her brows were furrowed. When she had succeeded in placing the cards at the top of her structure, she expressed a satisfied, "Yesss! And with only forty cards, haha!" For a moment, she forgot that she was talking to someone who didn't care. She looked at Ulquiorra, and her expression melted into a sigh.

"Where is the servant? Is he OK? He usually shows up by now." she asked.

"Do not concern yourself with him. I have come early to inquire about your behavior."

"Did I do something wrong again?"

"Why is it that you were so adamant not to be left alone yesterday?

She stood up from where she was seated. "What?"

"Your behavior during your last night on earth seemed to indicate that you wanted to be left alone during your emotional outburst. When you had been instructed to say goodbye to only one person, you took your time after saying goodbye to Ichigo Kurosaki, waiting several hours before meeting with me. What exactly is the difference in your preferences between then and now? Why did you not choose to be left alone more recently?"

Orihime was bewildered by the question. "Why do you want to know?"

"It helps me assess you more efficiently; your behavior fluctuates. Observing humans for so many years, I have learned that this is the most consistent quality about them—that they are inconsistent, but I have never spoken with any human about it. Hollow are not so impulsive. They are driven by hunger, so their actions are easily explained. Humans, however, are capricious."

She lingered in thought for several moments before she replied, "I don't know whether I feel comfortable discussing it with you."

"But it is not a matter of discomfort. It is a perfectly simple question."

"Yes, but...I didn't think that someone was watching me as I was saying goodbye."

"What is your reason for refraining to tell him those things while awake?"

His questions were getting way too personal. "I don't want to talk about this!" She turned her back to him and headed towards the couch.

"You will watch your tone."

She looked back at him irritably. His eyes were sharp, their jadish color boring into hers.

"You are not allowed to hurt me. I am not afraid of you."

"You are not afraid?" _This woman is smarter than I thought._ He took several steps closer to her, intrigued. "Have you not considered that my reports about the oddities in your behavior can be exaggerated?"

"I just don't think you would understand," she said firmly.

Ulquiorra continued walking over to her until he was a foot away.

"You think I am not apt to understand?" His voice was deep, and she'd never heard it this close before.

She dared to look up at his stoic expression. His eyes were brilliant. "No, that's not what I meant. I just…don't think you can relate."

"I have studied humans for many years now. They are quite uninteresting creatures. What you say will not confuse me, I assure you. But since you are so reluctant to speak on the matter, I will not waste my time here any longer." He started to leave.

Orihime first let out a sigh of relief, but for a reason she could not quite detect, she did not want him to leave. _Am I this desperate for company? Then again, I feel sorry for him. He really doesn't understand anything about emotion._

"Wait…I suppose I can explain some of it."

Ulquiorra turned back to face her.

"I guess…the reason why I wanted to be alone back then is because, well…it would have been embarrassing."

"But you were clearly embarrassed when I discovered you yesterday, and you did not ask me to leave."

She sighed again. "Yes, I was…but I guess it was just easier yesterday to eat and be done with it. I was able to say what I needed to say to Kurosaki-kun because I knew he wasn't listening." Oddly, she felt it was very easy to speak with the Espada in front of her. She continued, "I could never say those things to him with his knowledge about it."

Ulquiorra said nothing, but his silence compelled her to continue.

"I guess the things I said…" she shifted her feet uncomfortably. She suddenly realized what she was saying. _Why am I talking about my feelings for Kurosaki-kun? _ "They're just not normally something someone like me would say to someone like him."

"You are both humans; communicating is not unheard of."

She lightly chuckled. "It's not that easy." After a pause, she continued. "He…doesn't feel the same way about me the way I feel about him." Her eyes grew sad.

"Why do you bother wasting your energy in such frivolity? It is clearly draining on your ability to function normally."

"I don't feel like I'm wasting my energy. One day, he may feel the same. And in the meantime, I can't just tell my heart to stop loving him."

"Such a thing does not exist."

"Excuse me?"

"What you refer to as 'the heart' is merely a figure of your imagination. It is an illusion humans invent to explain discrepancies in their behaviors. It is the primary excuse for inconsistency."

"How can you say that it doesn't exist? It's my heart that gives me the ability to love…it's what makes me cry and laugh, move on after I'm sad, know what's right, so many other things..."

He cut her off, "Those are caused by social conditioning, some genetics, and chemical reactions in your brain; they have nothing to do with an abstract entity."

"I just-completely disagree. If I remember correctly, hollows don't have hearts, do they? So how could you possibly know about it?"

"One does not need to possess a thing to comprehend it. My eye is extraordinarily powerful."

He took his hand out of his pocket, drew it to his face, and proceeded to remove his left eye from its socket. Orihime gasped, bewildered. His eye disappeared into dust and revealed various scenes in the real world. Disgusted, yet intrigued, Orihime stared after him with wide eyes.

"It has observed many human interactions, including the human physiology and psyche. I can assure you that what you are talking about is unfounded. It is not provable." His eye suddenly grew back, and she found herself staring into two pools of green once more.

She tried to compose her thoughts after the marvel she had just witnessed. She had to think for several moments before answering, "But if something like that isn't provable, then it's not disprovable, either."

"That is an argument from ignorance, and it does not suffice in your case. I can assure you, you are mistaken."

"I just know what I'm saying is right. My heart tells me what I need to know. It guides me and gives me strength. It's something that I can feel and detect, and has been with me for as long as I can remember. I have intuitions and I follow them, and they are trustworthy. Something like that doesn't just come out of chemicals." She paused. "Like I said, I don't expect you to understand."

"You humans are stubborn. Even when the most obvious alternatives are set before you, you continue to submit to futility."

"But life is so much more than choosing between alternatives!"

"Life is meaningless, woman; it is an empty existence, passing through time like a useless shadow."

"But this doesn't mean that a person shouldn't have something to live for."

"And just what do you have to live for, woman?" he coldly challenged.

At that point, she knew she was defeated. Dejectedly, she answered, "My purpose is to do what Aizen-sama asks."

"Correct."

They both heard the servant approaching her door. Orihime watched as the servant rolled the table in its usual place. She sat down and mechanically started chewing her food.

The rest of their time together was spent in silence.

.oOo.

Orihime spent the remainder of the day both constructing and deconstructing her house of cards and thinking about her conversation with Ulquiorra.

_Why did I continue to talk about Kurosaki-kun? Why did I tell him about my feelings? I wonder if it's just him that's easy to talk to, or if it's the fact that I haven't had a conversation with anyone for a long time. In any case, he already heard what I had said to Kurosaki-kun, so it's not like my feelings are a surprise._

She sighed.

_But…he did come early just to talk to me… Is he that curious about the reason behind my emotions?_

_I wonder if he'll be by tomorrow,_ she thought.

.oOo.

For weeks after this exchange, Orihime's schedule consisted of nothing more than playing with her cards, eating, and considering whether she should let Aizen strengthen her power. It had been months since she had stepped foot in Hueco Mundo, and the days were taking their sweet time to pass. She was starting to get so bored that she began making up games to play with her cards. She played memory games, she played against herself, and she continued making houses of cards. Constant usage of the cards started to show on their exterior. _I wish I could just play a game with someone! _she often sighed.

Ulquiorra went back to his previous routine of only showing up once every few days, which was good in Orihime's mind, because this meant that she did not need to be observed very often. Despite this, she was starting to grow fond of having semi-conversations with someone—but she was conflicted by this.

On one particular day, Ulquiorra announced himself and startled her by breaking his usual silence.

"Aizen-sama has finally decided to give you two more weeks to make your decision about accepting his offer. He has ordered that you go to his throne room to be instructed of the procedure. Should you choose to accept, it will take time to prepare you for the transformation. He will explain some of the details to you."

"Yes, sir."

Orihime followed him to Aizen's throne room, where only she, Ulquiorra, Aizen, and the other two captains who had betrayed Soul Society occupied the room.

"Orihime Inoue. I expect Ulquiorra has told you why you are here today."

"Yes, sir. To explain the procedure of my transformation if I accept your offer."

"Very good."

Aizen began walking down the stairs that led up to his throne as he addressed her. "Should you choose to accept, it may take several months to prepare you. There are a number of risks, but I am confident that no permanent harm will come to you. No one has been injured from the Hogyoku thus far, other than temporary pain, of course. Since your powers are unique, I am uncertain about how much pain you should expect to feel. It could range from mild stinging to excruciating, though the latter is rare." At this point, Aizen was standing a few feet away from Orihime.

Orihime folded her hands.

"I am not afraid of pain," she murmured.

Aizen chuckled sardonically, "Ulquiorra, you were right about her strength! She claims she is not afraid of pain and stands but a few feet away from me without fainting from my presence." He smirked. "Of course, I _am_ withholding my reiatsu."

All of a sudden, Orihime sensed a shift in the atmosphere. It grew thick and heavy, and she felt as though she was standing in darkness. Orihime could feel her heart pump wildly, trying to keep up with the pressure in the air. She clenched her fists and resorted to holding her breath. She tried moving her head around, but the weight of the energy around her forced her to flex the muscles around her throat so that her neck would not snap. _Is this Aizen's reiatsu at full power? It's so strong, I have to struggle just to stand and breathe!_ She managed to shift her eyes over to Ulquiorra, who was observing her reaction.

Aizen laughed. He eased his reiatsu. Orihime's chest heaved.

"I have just demonstrated the power of a fraction of my reiatsu. Many hollow have fainted at the level I have just displayed, yet you remain standing. Impressive, for a human. Your addition to my team of Espada would be most valuable."

_Only a fraction of his reiatsu_…Orihime thought, horrified. And then, she had just realized what he said.

_Espada?_

Aizen gave Orihime more time to collect her breath, and then continued, "As I was saying before, it may take months for preparation. What you just experienced was the first step of the training, and you have already passed. The training will mainly consist of you becoming accustomed to higher levels of reiatsu, so that your tolerance of spiritual pressure can increase exceedingly after the procedure is over. If you do not prepare yourself, you will surely die from augmented levels of reiatsu entering your system. There is no need to discuss further details until you make your decision. I have already given you a taste of the first aspect of training, and you have done well." He paused. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yes. You said that I would become an Espada?"

"Of course. Your powers are extraordinary, Orihime. The power of the Hogyoku will surely add to your current abilities at least tenfold. Your offensive abilities, particularly, will be improved. I would not waste my energy on you if I was uncertain about how useful you would be. I suspect your rank will be at the very least a 7 or above."

Orihime was dumbfounded by Aizen's statement, and it frightened her. Her offensive abilities were directly tied to her personality. The angrier and more violent she became, the more effective the Shun-Shun Rikka were in her attacks. Orihime's meekness was the primary factor retarding Tsubaki's strength; she knew this well. So if her offensive abilities would increase because of the Hogyoku, this could certainly mean that she herself would become a more hostile and violent person. Aizen could very well be lying to her about the level of her strength, but if he was telling her the truth, she would literally be giving up part of her soul in exchange for more power.

"I see. May I ask one more question, sir?"

He nodded once.

"Will any aspect of my personality change? That is…will I be the same person…will my memories remain intact?"

"What an interesting question. I believe Ulquiorra can give you more personalized details, as he has undergone the experience himself."

"Yes, sir," she answered anxiously.

"Any other questions?"

Orihime shook her head.

"Very well. You are dismissed."

Orihime walked alongside Ulquiorra on the way back to her room, dwelling on the significance of what she had just heard. _Kurosaki-kun and the rest of Soul Society have a very difficult task ahead of them. _The reiatsu she had just been exposed to was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

As she continued walking, she thought about what Aizen had said. She could finally be of some use. She would be even more powerful than Rukia, perhaps as powerful as one of the captains in Soul Society. The prospect of this was tantalizing, though the uncertainty of a personality change was a very high price to pay. After considering this for several minutes, her thoughts returned to something else Aizen had said: _"Ulquiorra, you were right about her strength." Did he tell Aizen that I was strong? That's impossible._ She glanced at him. _Why does he always have the same expression on his face?_ She periodically stole glimpses at him as they walked. His expression, his pace, his slightly hunched over stance, and the position of his hands in his pockets were ever unchanging.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" His question made her jump.

"Oh! I apologize. I just…notice that you always have your hands in your pockets. Is there a reason for that?" _Stupid!_ she berated herself. "I guess…were you always like that, before Aizen-sama's interference?"

He looked at her briefly and stated, "My pockets are a place to rest my hands."

Orihime blushed slightly. She walked in silence before mustering enough courage to ask, "What did Aizen-sama mean when he talked about you saying that I was strong….?"

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Do not get arrogant. You are simply resilient, given your present circumstances. Though you have occasional outbursts, you are not prone to prolonged bouts of grief, and this is merely a convenient factor in Aizen-sama's overall scheme."

Orihime looked down at her hands and smiled slightly to herself. _He's actually noticed something about me. I shouldn't be surprised, though. He's the most observant person I've ever met. It's not a shock that he can tell I don't like to show my weakness._

"But you didn't answer my question," she continued. "Were you the same person before Aizen-sama?"

Ulquiorra did not answer immediately. Orihime waited impatiently. _This is the most important piece of information I need before I can know what to do._

"Why does it matter? You belong to Aizen-sama now. The only relevant aspects about your personality and your memories involve your allegiance to Aizen-sama. These will remain."

"But is that what happened to you?"

They reached her door, where he silently reached for the handle and opened it.

She figured that he was not going to answer her question, so she irritably began walking into her room. Just as she had crossed him, he began to speak. She immediately stopped to turn her head and face him. She was standing in an awkward position, with her body facing the room and her head turned towards his face. His emerald eyes seemed to mask something she could not quite detect. She gazed distractedly at the hole that peeked through the open zipper covering his chest.

"My experience with the Hogyoku is unique to that of most hollows. I do not remember anything prior to the day its powers were applied to me."

"What? Everyone except you has their memories?"

"Yes; occasionally dreams will come to mind, but I usually dismiss them as they distract me from my work."

She turned her body so that it was now facing him. He was giving her information; it was done truthfully so that she could build her trust in him and ultimately Aizen—she knew this. But something about what he said made her sad. She casually looked up at his face, her thoughts consumed with realization. _This explains why he's so serious about his duties. Aizen is the only thing he's ever known, and his purpose here is the only life he's ever experienced. Unlike him, other hollow have their goals of getting better and fighting. He's already powerful enough, so there's no need for that. It's no wonder there's so much emptiness within him; he really has nothing to live for… _For the first time, Orihime felt sympathy for the hollow standing before her.

"I can't imagine what that must be like…" Orihime stated softly. The compassion was very clear in her eyes. She had intended this statement to be merely a thought, but the words had escaped her. She bit her lip. She felt a pang of guilt for having demonstrated sensitivity to an enemy.

Ulquiorra sensed her sympathy as he studied her. He stood silently for several moments before he stated, "It is a trivial matter. If anything, it has allowed me to be a more effective subordinate, as I do not have personal issues that prevent me from following orders. It is more of a convenience than a nuisance."

"But don't you ever wonder about who you were?"

"It is meaningless to fret over the past. You should come to accept this fact. Asking these types of questions will only confuse your decision-making. Aizen-sama has been extraordinarily gracious in awarding you these time frames, and you have had plenty of time to make your choice. The more you contemplate on the subject, the more you will hesitate."

"But…I just don't want my memories to be erased. I don't want to forget who I am. I don't want to forget my friends…my brother."

"Your brother is dead, and your friends will soon be. It will not matter whether you remember them or not."

The sympathy she felt completely washed away into a storm of repugnance.

"How dare you! How can you be so callous?" she declared hotly.

He scoffed, and she began to stomp off into the room, but Ulquiorra raised his hand to block her path. She ran into his arm.

"Let me pass," she hissed as she grabbed his arm and struggled to get free.

"Not before you understand something," he said.

He stiffened his arm. His eyes suddenly changed from mild observance to intense authoritativeness. Internally, Orihime backed off; she knew that struggling with him was useless. She snapped her head up to look at him, seething.

"I am neither here to be your friend, nor to cater to your sympathies," he continued. "I am following orders. I would have had you killed the day we met, but your dear Ichigo Kurosaki interfered. And now Aizen-sama has asked me to mind you to ensure that you do not do anything foolish. Your anger is unwarranted, and I will not tolerate outbursts."

Orihime's face was very hot. "Let me pass."

Ulquiorra's bright, commanding eyes bored into hers to make his statement clear. His eyes were marvelous, and she hated that. They stood at the door for several seconds before he let his arm down, and she let go of him. She huffed and gruffly walked into the room with her arms crossed.

Ulquiorra stood at the door observing her reaction. _Humans are so easily enraged. This one is no exception, though I do seem to have hit a chord by mentioning her brother._

Before he left, he stated, "You have two weeks to make your decision."

Orihime remained with her back to him as he shut the door.

"Wait!"

He stopped.

"I have already made my decision."

.oOo.


	7. Faze

"What?" Ulquiorra was mildly surprised.

"I've had over a month to think about it already. I have made my decision."

"And what have you decided?"

She walked up to the door and huffed, "That's none of your business. Tell Aizen-sama that I request permission to meet with him privately, and that I'll tell him my choice when he has the opportunity."

"Your refusal to comment does not faze me," he said. Though in truth, he was curious about what she had decided.

Orihime slammed the door in his face.

.oOo.

_How volatile. It seems she can control her sadness fairly well, but her anger is another story. It is a surprise that she was so quick to display sympathy, however._ Ulquiorra thought back to how quickly her emotions changed from curiosity to compassion to fury. _How is it possible that this woman can express compassion for an enemy?_

.oOo.

Livid, Orihime stomped back and forth across the room. "The next time he says something like that, I swear I'll _slap _him!" she promised herself.

"And WHY did I tell him that I made my decision, when I haven't?" She bit her nail in trepidation. _What am I going to do?_ She clenched her fists against her forehead. _I just wanted to make him mad, but it didn't do anything. Nothing ever bothers him! He just stands there all the time! And I feel so stupid for feeling sorry for him!_ Her eyes started watering from frustration. _I can't go back on my word… but how can I follow someone like Aizen? But I'll die if I say no to him! What am I going to do?_

Consumed with worry, she repeated these words to herself until she fell asleep.


	8. Libélula

Author's Note:

What happens in this section is the inspiration for Libélula. I can hardly contain my excitement in finally publishing this chapter. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time out of their busy schedules to read. It's made the whole thing worth it.

_Edit: It has come to my attention that some people are indeed skipping the previous chapter, entitled "Faze". It is extremely short, but it also has some information about Orihime's decision._

* * *

><p><strong>After<strong>

For the second time since her arrival in Hueco Mundo, Orihime awoke to clanging. Rubbing her eyes, she realized that for whatever reason, she felt strikingly weak. She looked towards the door for Ulquiorra. He was not there. She tried lifting her body from the couch to turn to the window. It took great effort for her to do this. Thinking that she was still groggy from sleep, she finally lifted her head high enough to face the window. Startled, she saw Ulquiorra standing in front of it—it was odd to see him standing in such a place. He was staring at her, but there was something different about his expression. She couldn't place it—it was something between curiosity and amusement.

She collapsed onto the couch. _I can barely move! What's wrong with me?_ She tried lifting her body, but couldn't. "I-I can't get up!"

Ulquiorra walked around to the couch and stood looking down at her. "Try to move your legs."

She tried to do so. _I can't! _She started to panic. "They're like lead! What's wrong with me?" She looked up at him helplessly, thankful that she could at least move her head.

"It is just as I thought."

"What happened? Did _you _do this?" She suddenly remembered their conversation the previous day. She gave him a fierce look.

"That would be ridiculous, and a waste of my time."

"Then what's _wrong _with me?"

"Can you move your arms?"

She wiggled her arm. She was able to move it quite freely. "Yes!"

"Then you can eat."

_Ugh! _"What's wrong with my legs!"

"It was a mere mishandling on the part of another hollow in the servant's quarters. He has been disposed of. I will explain when the matter has been investigated more fully. For now, you must eat. I have very important matters to attend to, and I cannot be tied down with you any longer."

"How am I going to reach the food?"

Ulquiorra looked at the servant, who proceeded to walk over to the table and pull it to where Orihime was seated.

"Oh," Orihime replied. "Thank you."

Orihime began eating, but it was very difficult. Though she could move her arms, they felt weak, and she had problems keeping the fork steady in her hands. Ulquiorra watched her struggle with her food for several minutes. He walked over to the couch and sat on the edge opposite from her. He looked bored, as though he was tired of standing. Orihime was just about to take another bite, but out of shock from watching him sit, her mouth draped open. Her food hung midair on the tip of her eating utensils. She looked at him wide-eyed for a few seconds before she slowly popped the food into her mouth. It was very awkward sitting next to him, particularly because there was a very subtle inconsistency about his behavior. She had never seen him act so informally. She stared at him, her conspicuous astonishment plastered all over her face. She kept looking back at him as she struggled to eat. Her obvious bewilderment was starting to agitate him.

"If there is something the matter, speak on it."

"Sorry," she spoke, embarrassed.

After continuing to fight with her fork and plate for several moments, she decided to address him.

"It's just that you don't usually sit when you're here. It's a little weird, that's all."

"I have been waiting for you to wake for an hour. Now your eating is dragging. I wished to sit."

"You watched me sleep for an _hour_?" Her face flushed a pink tone.

"You were very deeply asleep. I tried to wake you, but could not. I could not leave the room until I was certain that you were not in a coma. Obviously, you are not."

"Oh."

Orihime continued to eat in silence. She noticed that the emptiness that had usually accompanied his presence was somehow fainter. She immediately looked at him, with her eyes squinted.

"There's something different about you today."

He looked at her with a very odd expression, mildly bewildered.

"There's something going on. I don't know what it is, but there's something different about you."

"You are delusional. Perhaps your inability to move your legs has clouded your sense perceptions."

"No. I can tell it's different because of the way you're—what's _that_?" She suddenly pointed at a very faint, yellow circle on Ulquiorra's chest. "Did you spill something on your clothes?"

Ulquiorra looked down at his chest and stood up. He placed his hand on where his hollow hole was hidden under his clothes.

And then, there was an abrupt shift in his expression, as if he had just realized something. He immediately withdrew his hand to his pocket and turned to walk towards the door, at his usual position. His expression melted back to its usual blank apathy, but it looked forced. "It is nothing. Continue eating. I am late for my next duty."

"I'm finished," she was tired of struggling and wanted him to leave. She was still irritable over what had happened the day before.

When he turned to leave, she suddenly shouted, "Oh, wait! Did you talk to Aizen-sama about making my decision?"

His back was to her, but he continued to talk. "Yes. I have told him about your present condition. He wishes for you to recover before you speak with him, as there is no way for you to reach his throne room. He is above coming here, and… I expect you do not wish to be carried."

She suddenly had an image of Ulquiorra carrying her across the hallways.

"Uh…no, that's not necessary. I'll wait."

"Quite."

He turned and left Orihime on the couch, massaging her legs.

**Before**

There was a bright, yellow-orange glow permeating throughout the room. It came from the woman. She lay on the couch, fast asleep, while a mysterious, black, dragonfly-creature hovered over her. As soon as he saw the insect, Ulquiorra knew what had happened.

These black dragonflies, called libélulas, resembled the black butterflies in soul society, but they served a much more sinister purpose. Much like little hollows, these creatures had the ability to suck reiatsu from their prey until they were dead. Their bite was lethal, and any hollow whose white hierro was not thick enough would fall prey to a very deep sleep. While the victims slept, the libélula would then draw out the reiatsu of these creatures, causing it to seep into the air around them, and thicken it so as to provide extra nourishment. If the reiatsu of the victim was strong enough, it would appear as a colored mist to other hollow. The dragonflies would then gorge themselves on the densified spiritual mist around their prey, often leaving the victim dead or severely handicapped. These dragonflies also served as excellent hollow food. They were convenient snacks most of the lower-level arrancar would eat to rejuvenate themselves if they were too lazy to go out and hunt for other hollow. The libélulas were one of Aizen-sama's inventions, and were extremely convenient to use in the training of new arrancars. Ulquiorra had never eaten one of these creatures—he considered them fit only for arrancar trash who were too lazy to hunt for their own food.

He surmised that this dragonfly had probably escaped from somewhere else in the palace, flew into her room, bit her, and began devouring her reiatstu as soon as it began permeating out of her body. It looked as though half of Orihime's reiatsu had been eaten. Its color was strongest near her skin, and got lighter and lighter the farther it spread from her body. The edges of her reiatsu had the appearance of being torn, as if something had slowly bitten it off like taffy. Most of the reiatsu in her lower body was gone, as if the creature was slowly working its way up from feet to face. It was greedily eating away her lifeforce, completely oblivious to the Espada in the room. In a flash, Ulquiorra teleported from the door to the dragonfly, grabbing it by the wings and startling it half to death. It wiggled furiously between his fingers, but its efforts were useless.

As Ulquiorra examined the black libélula, he noticed that it glowed an orange-yellow color. _Curious_, he thought. _It has assumed even the color of this woman's reiatsu…I have never seen this happen with these creatures. Could this be because she is a live human, or because this is the power of her own reiatsu? In any case, this creature must be disposed of before it does any more damage._

The creature that held Orihime's reiatsu struggled desperately in Ulquiorra's right palm. The insect's body was unusually warm. Ulquiorra slowly closed his fist around the dragonfly to crush it dead. Within milliseconds, its life quickly succumbed to the force in his hand. Killing it was very easy. Yet, moments after his fingers enveloped the insect, he felt an odd sensation flow into his hand. He immediately opened his palm to see that the dragonfly was left in ashes, but the golden reiatsu had disappeared. He did not expect this. He glanced at Orihime. She was sleeping peacefully, with the yellow-orange color around her starting to fade. He looked down at his hand. It was still warm from the dragonfly's death.

And then, he felt a tingling sensation crawl up from his hand to his arm. He immediately pushed up his sleeve. There was a very faint golden glow traveling up his arm.

_What…?_

He could feel the odd sensation oozing up his arm and through his body. _Perhaps I should not have crushed the fly. Has her reiatsu entered my system? _

The servant came in just then, but he dismissed him. "The girl is not well. Come back when I instruct you."

"Yes, sir."

Ulquiorra followed the servant out. He walked around the palace halls and outside, moving his arm around. _What is this odd sensation? I feel as though there has been a shift inside my body. _He felt less cold, as though the warmth of the woman's soul had somehow raised his body temperature several degrees.

He walked back to his own quarters. There was a mirror there, standard in most rooms. The area surrounding the hole in his chest was now the warmest part of his body—he could literally feel it being several degrees hotter than the rest of him. He walked over to the mirror and unzipped the top of his garment. What he saw stunned him.

"Impossible."

But it was possible. The hole had shrunk. It was not a significant change, but he noticed it.

"This is not possible," he said again, mortified. "The girl's reiatsu has rejected part of my hole. How can this be? Perhaps the libélula's density capacity intensified the rate at which she could heal." _Still, this is most extraordinary. If she does accept Aizen's proposal, her capabilities are certain to surpass even mine._

There was a yellow-orange ring glowing around the new flesh. He felt it. It was very warm. "I wonder if this will last. No matter. It is hardly noticeable."

But it bothered him.

.oOo.

He rarely spent time in his own quarters, but he needed to contemplate the matter at hand. Orihime was practically half-dead on the couch in her room, and she had become this way under his watch. He knew that it would take at least a week before all of her reiatsu recovered on its own. He stood, rubbing the shrunken hole in his chest and contemplated the woman. "Aizen must be notified immediately."

He zipped up his garment and walked out of his own quarters. He felt a twinge of uneasiness as he got closer and closer to Aizen's quarters. _Odd,_ he thought.

As he approached Aizen's throne room, he could feel the uneasiness shifting inside his stomach. _How distracting. How am I to go about my work?_

.oOo.

"Ulquiorra, what news do you have today?" Aizen called out from his seat.

"There is some unfortunate news about the girl, sir."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Ulquiorra paused. He felt a twinge of anxiety. "One of the libélulas escaped, and the girl fell victim to its bite. She is currently unconscious. I expect it will take a week for her reiatsu to fully recover and that she will be unable to fully move her legs until that time."

"This _is _unfortunate. And what of the libélula?"

"It has been disposed of."

"Very well."

"She has also informed me that she has made her decision."

"So soon?"

"Yes, though she refused to tell me what it was. She was upset with me at the time."

"Really? For what?"

"I merely called attention to the fact that her brother is dead. Afterwards, she stomped around and soon claimed to have made her decision. She then refused to tell me what it was. I suspect she was trying to irritate me."

Aizen chuckled. "It seems you have had an effect on this woman, Ulquiorra. She is playing into our plans perfectly. Perhaps you should you should charm her. She may be more apt to accept my help willingly if she thinks she has an ally."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly. _Ridiculous!_ But he felt the circle in his chest grow warmer. "With all due respect, sir, your humor is radical."

Aizen chuckled again. He reclined backwards and rested his head on his fist. "Very well. Give her a week to recover. There are other matters to be addressed in the meantime."

"Yes, sir."

"And Ulquiorra?" Aizen paused.

"Don't let this happen again," he warned. Aizen's eyes flashed a very subtle, imposing glance. "You are dismissed."

.oOo.

Ulquiorra left Aizen and reflected on what had occurred in Orihime's chambers earlier. He unzipped the top of his garment again to see whether the circle was still there. It was. _How long will this last? To have to deal with this on the brink of a war is most inconvenient. I hope this does not affect my abilities. _He stopped in the realization of what was just insinuated.

_I hope…? _

He immediately dismissed it.

_What a useless concept._

But it bothered him.

.oOo.

He walked to Orihime's room and opened the door. She still lay sleeping on the couch. Her mouth was slightly open and her breathing was very deep. He walked over to where she lay and stood over her, contemplating whether or not she would awaken on her own. He took his right hand, and with four fingers he nudged her shoulder. She stirred. He let out a huff.

_I do not have time to trouble myself with this,_ he thought irritably.

He looked at the woman again, distractedly. Her skin was very smooth, and her hair a very animated color. It contradicted the plain, black-and-white uniform Aizen had chosen, which he could not contest fit her exquisitely. He wondered how the dynamics of the Espada would change should she choose to transform her abilities. She would be a unique addition to Aizen's army, for her offensive capabilities would not be tied to a zanpakuto. This would confuse any enemy used to fighting in this style. Her rejection capacities would also prove to be infinitely useful. Multiple comrades would be healed simultaneously in seconds, with her abilities.

_Unsurprisingly, Aizen has chosen wisely._

The sound of her breathing was rhythmic.

_The main problem involves her ties to her comrades. Her feelings for Ichigo Kurosaki are particularly inconvenient. Why does she continue to follow after him when he displays such obvious apathy for her? _His eyes lingered absentmindedly on her face, then dwelled again on the stark contrast of her hair and the rest of the room. Her addition to Las Noches would be just as antithetical.

He prodded her shoulder once more. She did not move.

He walked over to the window and decided to wait for her to awaken. If she did not, Aizen would need to be notified once more.

He patiently watched her from the window, debating whether he should order the servant not to come. But the woman needed to eat, and he would not refuse her the nutrition required for her to remain functional. The warmth in his chest persisted. He could sense that there was something in him that had reacted to the reiatsu, but could not properly analyze what it was. _In any event, there is no reason to dwell on the matter._

**After**

Orihime finally woke to the clanging of the silverware. Ulquiorra watched her carefully as she slowly realized what was wrong with her body. She blamed him, but he dismissed the idea immediately. After the servant dragged the table closer to her, he watched her struggle with her food.

And then, the thought.

At first, he dismissed it, but witnessing her struggle with her meal reinforced his intuitions. _I am responsible for what has happened._ This was true; the idea crawled around in his mind, and he could not deny that she had been incapacitated under his supervision. Her question rang in his mind, _"Did you do this?"_ He denied it, but ultimately he was responsible, and he found it odd that he was dwelling on this fact. He could feel the circle in his chest grow warmer as he reflected.

He could stand for hours, but watching the woman attempt to feed herself incited a very subtle impulse to observe her actions more closely. Out of curiosity, he decided to see what would happen if he reacted to the impulse. He slowly walked over to the couch and sat. Her expressions annoyed him.

"If there is something the matter, speak on it," he stated.

But the answer to this was obvious. His casualness was an oddity, and she had noticed it immediately. Sitting next to her and dialoguing with her from a different position in the room was uncharacteristic of him.

He remained disinterested until she pointed out the blaring circle in his chest.

Realization dawned on him as soon as she lifted her finger. The motivations, the curiosity, the dialogue, and the apprehension with Aizen.

_Could it have been guilt? _It was very faint, but it explained his actions. Something outside of the realm of his control had explained his actions. It had led him to watch her. It led him to sit next to her. It led him to extract a conversation from her. He placed his hand over his hole.

_Are the differences in my actions due to this?_ His expression changed. _I refuse this. _

He aggressively forced the new incentives imposed on him to an inaccessible place in his mind, but even this reaction indicated that he was still responding. _This is inconceivable. _He shoved his hand into his pocket, as if to shove away the implications of what he had just realized.

Orihime finished eating soon afterward. After speaking with her about her recovery, he turned to leave. The last image he had of her before he closed the door was the strain on her face and her feeble attempts to nurse the deadness in her legs.


	9. Novelty

Ulquiorra spent most of that day blocking the foreign incentives clouding his thoughts. He had been working on a secret technique, one that he hadn't even discussed with Aizen. He wanted to keep it hidden until he was certain that he could perfectly control every aspect of it.

Transforming into his second resurrection form required more effort than the first, but the time differences were usually slight. _A few more training sessions and the timing for both should be identical. _Thus, the current focus of his training was to increase the ease of his metamorphosis. He went to an isolated location away from Las Noches and unleashed his first form. This was simple.

When he morphed into his second stage, however, the time lag was longer than usual. He struggled in an attempt to unleash the blackness of his form. It took him twice as long. _This is highly unusual. I should be getting faster at achieving my second resurrection._ Then it dawned on him that the effects of the woman's reiatsu were still in his system.

_This cannot be. _

For the rest of his training, Ulquiorra practiced until he achieved his regular speed. Satisfied with his semi-progress, he decided that he would let his body rest. The advanced training always drained his reiatsu, and he could not afford to be performing at mediocre levels should a battle break out. He then practiced controlling his Lanza del Relámpago, but it was more difficult than usual with the recent changes to his system. _How much longer will these silly effects persist?_

Upon transforming back into his regular form, he reluctantly took another glance at the hole in his chest. Still glowing, still shrunken, it continued to defy him. The circle then reminded him of his duties with the woman. _I suppose I should see to her progress. _

He walked to her chambers for the second time that day.

He knocked on her door and warned of his entrance. He saw her sitting on the floor, next to the couch, making another house of cards. She ignored his presence.

"Has your condition improved?"

Without looking up at him, she answered, "No. I had to drag myself to get these cards."

He stood in the doorway for several moments, awkwardly watching her build her cards. He then turned to leave, but Orihime broke the silence with a statement.

"You don't usually come to see me twice a day."

The question annoyed him. "Your condition merits attention. It is likely that I will come more often within the next few days to ensure your recovery is on schedule. I suspect it will take a week."

She dropped the cards in her hand.

"A _week_? You mean I won't be able to walk for a _week_?"

"Perhaps, though I suspect you may feel sensations in your legs sooner."

"What _happened_ to me? At this point, all of her attentions were focused on him, her expression peeved with her hands flat on the ground.

"You were bitten by a libélula." He explained what they were and what happened.

"How did it get in?"

"My best estimation is that it escaped from the lower chambers of the palace and flew in through your window."

"What if another one escapes? Will I get bitten again?"

"No, I have placed very sensitive spiritual sensors around your door, windows, and room, to ensure that the creatures do not bother you again. Aizen-sama cannot afford another mishap."

"So I'm safe from them?" Orihime warily looked at the window.

"Yes," he replied, annoyed.

He turned to leave, and she hesitated for a bit before she called out to him.

"Wait."

He looked at her.

"Thank you," she stated, and immediately refocused her attention on her cards.

The warm circle in his chest tingled.

.oOo.

During the week of Orihime's recovery, Ulquiorra delivered daily reports about the woman's condition to Aizen. She had been improving as scheduled, so it was only a matter of time before her decision would be made known. She still refused to tell Ulquiorra what she had decided.

The golden circle in Ulquiorra's chest gave way to an entire slough of events he was not quite sure how to interpret. The first thing he noticed was that his visits to the woman grew more frequent. They started at twice a day, then grew to three, and on the last day of her recovery, he visited her a total of four times—once during each of her meals, and a final time before she went to sleep. He convinced himself that he needed to see that she was healing properly, but he was reluctant to admit that there was something about his visits to the woman that added novelty to his schedule. He knew that novelty in any form was irrelevant to his duties, but his cognizance of the newness indicated that he was no longer indifferent to the visits.

The visits also gave him more chances to inquire about various things he had noted about humans. He still considered them uninteresting, but the woman personified every inane characteristic he had always attributed to humans, and he could not ignore this intriguing fact. It was almost amusing to see her frustration at questions she could not answer, and how easily she could be encouraged to talk to her heart's content.

Orihime also noticed that the visits became more frequent, and often wondered about this. She did not mind, because the cards were getting to be extremely boring. Even so, her appreciation for the visits were accompanied by an incredible nagging feeling. _I shouldn't want to see him. Do I even want to see him? It's just because I'm lonely and bored. If it were anyone else, I would also feel this way, _she often consoled herself. However, by the third day of her recovery, her argument grew less convincing.

She heard the knock on the door, and shifted her position on the couch to face her visitor.

_This is the third time he's come today. He's never come this many times…_

"Come in," she called.

Ulquiorra wore the same expression as always. He leisurely walked into her room and stood at the door, waiting for the servant to arrive with her food.

She was the first to break the silence.

"I can sense that a little bit more feeling has come into my legs since earlier today."

"Yes, I anticipated as much. Half of your reiatsu was densified and eaten. I imagine that human reiatsu usually takes longer to regenerate. If you were a hollow, you would have recovered in one day."

His last sentence hung in the air.

"Yes, I suppose I would have," Orihime calmly stated. The question of her strength was looming in her mind. She was afraid to ask, but she needed to know.

"Would I really become as strong as an Espada if Aizen-sama uses the Hogyoku on me?" she asked feebly. She felt dirty for having asked the question.

"Yes; I am not uncertain that you might even surpass me in certain aspects. Perhaps not in strength, though your strength would definitely improve. However, your abilities, if sharpened by Aizen-sama, would place you in a very unique category. I expect that you would gain new abilities."

"New abilities?" The thought hadn't occurred to her. She was so focused on her strength that she had not even thought about that.

"Yes. We Espada learned new abilities and can assume other forms with our zanpakutos. It is much like the shinigami with their shikai and bankai."

"I see." She wondered what Ulquiorra looked like in his other form. She wondered what _she_ would look like…she then immediately refrained. _Why am I asking him these questions? I shouldn't want this. But if my loyalties remain the same, I can get stronger and help my friends._

"So you really don't remember what happened before Aizen-sama, do you?" she inquired again.

"No."

"And you said that you're the only one this happened to?"

"To my knowledge." He paused. "Why do you focus on your memories? You have already made the decision about where your dedication lies."

"I like who I am. My memories are part of that, and they make up my character." She consciously refrained from talking about her brother or friends. "And all of that hard work in school will also have been a wasted effort…ha, ha," she gave a very light laugh.

Ulquiorra said nothing at the joke.

"Can I ask you a question?" she suddenly asked.

He answered in silence.

"Do you ever…laugh?"

The question came out of nowhere. "Excuse me?" he answered.

"Well, you're so serious all the time. I've seen other Espada laugh…even if it was under cynical circumstances, but they still expressed some kind of emotion. But you…you just stay the same all the time. It's odd."

Ulquiorra processed her question. It was obvious that mirth in any form was foreign to his nature, and she wanted to know why. No one had ever asked this type of information of him, and the question caught him off guard.

"I am not easily humored," was all he could say.

"Have you ever laughed?" Orihime looked very concerned.

Ulquiorra did not answer her question.

She gave him that look once again—the one that seemed to indicate she was making a sincere effort to understand him.

Orihime continued to prod, "Is there anything that makes you smile, at least?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

She shrugged. "I just wanted to know, I guess."

She suddenly felt a twinge in her foot.

"Oh!" she squealed. "I felt something in my foot!" She gave him a wide smile and massaged the area that had feeling in it.

Ulquiorra felt the circle in his chest grow warm. He had placed coverings over it so as to mask the color under his garments. Aizen had not noticed it. Every day Ulquiorra would check to see whether it was still there. Every day it remained. As he watched Orihime's grand reaction to something as insignificant as feeling in her legs, he felt the subtle twitch of guilt creep into his mind. Throughout the week he had been consistently expelling it from his thoughts, but not without effort.

"Very well. I will relate it to Aizen-sama when the opportunity arises."

The servant walked in with her food. He placed it in front of her so that she would not need to move.

"Oh, good. Thank you," she stated.

As she ate, Orihime noticed that lately Ulquiorra appeared to be very deep in thought about something. Rather than his usual attentiveness, he stood in his usual spot not completely ignoring her, but not completely watching her, either. At some point during the middle of her meal he retreated to this distracted state of mind. As she observed this, she smiled to herself. _I think I've gotten used to having him around._

Orihime had noticed from the start that he was not an unattractive man by any means, but until now, she refused to acknowledge this detail. _You can't, _she often told herself. As of late, however, his constant presence made his looks even more difficult to ignore, and the emptiness usually accompanying him had noticeably decreased to the point where it felt less foreboding around him.

She slowly shifted her gaze to him.

He was slightly hunched over, with his hands in his pockets—the unusual idiosyncrasy he possessed apart from his melancholy demeanor. His ebony hair fell over his face, and his brilliant, aquamarine-jadish eyes indicated that his thoughts were deep indeed. _What must he be thinking about?_ she mused. She watched him for several more moments before she finally admitted, _He really is very attractive._

Ulquiorra realized that the silverware stopped making noise and broke from his thoughts to look at Orihime. For a moment, their eyes locked. Upon realizing this, she immediately looked down at her plate and continued eating, slightly blushing. _Did he just catch me looking at him?_

He did.

He remained silent but contemplated their interactions when he walked out of her room, particularly the look of interest she had given him. _She must be desperate for conversation,_ he thought. _Her questions regarding my humor are irrelevant to anything about which she should be concerned._

He decided that, for whatever it was, her curiosity drew his attention. What he couldn't decide— and the thing that stuck out most in his mind when he caught her looking at him—was whether her curiosity was interesting in itself or because it was aimed at him.

On the other side of the door, Orihime's thoughts also dwelled on the conversation—but mostly they dwelled on the Espada. She frowned. _I shouldn't have allowed myself to stare...it's rude._

However, she knew that in reality, rudeness was the least of her worries.

.oOo.

The following day, Orihime refrained from looking at the man when she could, and their conversations only consisted of the matter about the feeling in her legs. Each time, she replied to his questions with her characteristic smile and told him that she was getting better, and each time, her jovial expression invoked the hint of guilt.

He was certain now that it was guilt; whenever she gave him a positive confirmation with one of her effervescent grins, he felt the feeling subside, as if she was implicitly granting him forgiveness. Every time he noticed these subtle shifts in his thought patterns, he immediately pushed them away. _I must not allow myself to react. These notions are nothing more than invocations of her reiatsu._ He impatiently waited for their effects to cease. They had to cease.

Despite his resolution, the novelty of whatever was going on inside of him led him to keep visiting the woman. By the fifth day of her recovery, it was more noticeable to him that his visits were growing more voluntary in nature. Instead of seeing them completely as a duty, the satiation of his curiosity slowly morphed into a marginal benefit.

On the final day of her recovery, the changes in his thought patterns became most evident. Ulquiorra left her quarters during her third meal. She had almost regained all of her reiatsu, with the exception of a bit of numbness in her right foot. He left her room, and after some time had passed, his walk through the palace hallways was interrupted by an abrupt sensation in his chest. Slowly, a very distinct aura enveloped him. He felt its snaking presence cling to his body and mind. It traveled from his chest through his body and into his head, grasping every part of him until he felt cloaked in it.

Suddenly, it left him—just as unexpectedly as it had appeared.

Ulquiorra immediately headed towards the mirror in his chambers. He approached it cautiously, almost apprehensive about what he would find. He unzipped the top of his garment and peeled away the coverings. The vacuous space had returned to its original size. Compared to its most recent size, it looked large. Gone was the golden outline, its halcyon warmth no longer emanating from his chest. He placed his hand over it, tracing the edges of what had once existed, but he felt nothing. There was only emptiness. He was not troubled over it, but there was also no relief. Whatever novelty had once existed was gone as well. It was as though nothing had ever existed, had never happened. All was just as void as the hole in his chest.

He exited the room, adapting to the changes that had just occurred. He wandered through the palace, recognizing that this was how he operated before the libélula. _It is no matter; I will no longer be distracted._

He found himself standing in front of Orihime's door. _It seems I have allowed myself to wander back here. I wonder...  
><em>

He knocked.

On the other side, Orihime was startled. _Who could it be? _"Who is it?"

"It is only me."

"Oh! Come in!" she replied a little too excitedly.

"What brings you here? Did you forget something?" She was particularly bouncy.

"No." He took several steps forward.

"Oh. Well, you won't guess what hap-pened!" She bounced her head from side to side. "I regained all the feeling I had in my legs! It happened not too long after you left, either!" She twirled around.

_It must have returned to her the moment it left me…_

"I see. This will please Aizen-sama. Tomorrow you will report to him and inform him of your decision."

Orihime suddenly grew very serious.

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Very well." He turned to leave, but before taking his steps outside of the room, Orihime spoke.

"Um…"

He turned his head so that his profile was visible.

"There's something different about you…"

_She has noticed?_

"The emptiness returned. I could feel that it was gone throughout the entire time I was healing. But, it feels like it's back. It's very heavy. Am I imagining things?" There was sympathy in her tone.

"No."

.oOo.

Ulquiorra left her room marveling at her ability to detect what her reiatsu had done to him. He still did not fully comprehend what it all meant. _The period of time in which her recovery took place and the period of time in which her reiatsu remained in my system appear to be identical._ Additionally, her reiatsu had left him the moment the numbness in her legs disappeared. Though this puzzled him, he was more curious about the vacuum that had overtaken his faculties. The guilt, the lightness he felt, and the warmth had all disappeared. Despite the vacuum, he was apathetic about the changes themselves; his true nature had taken over, eliminating any irrelevant concerns or perceptions. Nevertheless, he could not decide whether he was indifferent about the apathy, and this is what bothered him the most. He could not forget the novelty of the past week. He did not miss it, yet there was something about what happened to him that he still did not fully comprehend. This, too, was new. It was the first time he was unable to provide an explanation for something. _In any event, it is done. It is senseless to fret over something that no longer exists._

Even so, the question of exactly _what_ had once existed lingered in the corners of his mind.

.oOo.

Inside her room, Orihime was practically hyperventilating. "What am I going to tell Aizen tomorrow?"

She sobbed and cried, utterly irresolute about what she should do. Her choices were death or denial of her friends, and her biggest fear was that by serving Aizen she would forget her true loyalties. In that case, she would be just like Ulquiorra, having no purpose, no meaning to her life with the exception of serving a tyrant. She cried even harder, burying her head in her hands. _Why did I ever come here?_

After finally composing herself, she spent hours weighing out what the consequences of her choices would be. She reflected for a very long time, until the answer finally became clear to her.

She cried herself to sleep.


	10. Neutral

Orihime approached the first day of her training by consoling herself. She always knew that by accepting, she would be betraying those she loved, but now she knew that she was truly a coward by not choosing death. Time was precious, so she prayed that by some small shred of hope she might end up proving useful to her friends by prolonging her life, and she hoped that her friends would understand. Most of all, she hoped that she would be able to keep her memories. She recalled the previous day's events. Neither Aizen nor Ulquiorra had appeared surprised at her decision to accept Aizen's proposal, and she could tell that Aizen seemed pleased. She left his throne room, following Ulquiorra to her room on the verge of tears and ran over to her pillow as soon as the door was closed so that she could cry in silence. _I feel so alone, _she grieved. She got very little sleep, waking long before the resounding knock on her door signaled the second day of her true betrayal.

Ulquiorra announced his presence before her first meal. Orihime stood directly across from the door, fidgeting with her hands.

"Upon eating your meal, you will begin your first day of training with me. Aizen-sama has ordered that we train on the roof of Las Noches, as it is a more discreet location for such purposes."

"Yes, sir."

The servant walked in, but Orihime hardly touched her food. Her appetite had left her long ago.

After scrambling whatever she could inside her mouth, she stood from the table, waiting for the next command. She followed Ulquiorra out to one of the terraces of the palace, after which Ulquiorra created a sphere of reiatsu around them. Orihime felt her body start to move upwards. She gasped.

"This is merely a method of transportation. Since you are not able to travel upwards on your own yet, I have created this device to transport us back and forth from the palace to the roof of Las Noches. You will not fall."

"R-right." She clutched her chest as they withdrew steadily from the ground. She decided not to look downwards.

They passed through the roof and walls and came upon a very bright, colorful place that resembled the blue skies of the real world. Orihime gasped; she never thought she would see blue skies. "What is this place?"

"It is merely within the dome of Las Noches. Aizen-sama prefers it this way."

When they were very close to what could have been considered the sky, Orihime saw Ulquiorra take his hand and create an opening in the sky. Fascinated, she looked at the ease with which he created such a rift. After passing through, they landed in an area just as drab as the rest of Hueco Mundo. It was very dark. The sphere Ulquiorra had created placed them very gently on the ground and then disappeared. She looked around, with one of her hands still clutched at her chest.

"So, what now?" she inquired.

"Now your training begins."

Orihime's eyes grew wide. _I am not prepared for this._

"We will begin by first testing how much reiatsu you can withstand. Do not move," he ordered. Ulquiorra turned his back to her and walked several yards away, facing her again as soon as he reached a suitable distance.

Immediately, she felt the air around her shift the way it did over a week ago with Aizen. It was not as strong, but she could feel Ulquiorra's reiatsu grow in strength as the seconds passed. It was suddenly about the same level as what she had experienced with Aizen. Slowly, she felt her head grow heavier, her breathing harder, and her body stiffer. _It's so hard to breathe!_

Ulquiorra could see that she was struggling, and eased his reiatsu. Orihime breathed a sigh of relief. Ulquiorra's spiritual energy gradually started rising more slowly than before, so that Orihime had more time to prepare herself. She was surprised at how sensitive he was to her capacity. He was very good at guessing her limits.

And then, he took a small step forward.

The pressure was too much to bear. She felt her body bend to the power of his reiatsu. She doubled over and landed on all fours on the ground. Her bright, red-orange hair fell all over the dull, white sand and around her face. The pressure ceased. Orihime's breathing was very strained. She looked up at him, sweating.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he looked down at her. He was very calm, as if he had expected this to happen. He waited for her to regain her composure, stand back up, and prepare herself again. The same procedure continued; he took closer steps towards her, both letting his reiatsu rise and fall until he was standing several feet away from her.

"That is enough," he finally said, and the atmosphere suddenly became very light.

By the end of her training session that first day, Orihime was panting, sweating, and on the verge of tears. But she knew that her tolerance for withstanding reiatsu had increased; she could feel it. Once her breathing returned to normal, the hunger pangs in her stomach roared. She turned a light shade of pink at the noise and scratched the back of her head. "Ha…ha…sorry about that; I was really nervous about the training this morning and didn't eat very much."

Ulquiorra responded in his usual silence and created the sphere around them so that they could travel downwards. On the way down, Orihime reflected on how controlled he was. "It must have taken a lot of practice to be able to fluctuate your reiatsu like that," she remarked suddenly.

Ulquiorra's expression marked a hint of surprise.

"It's just that…you were able to read my limits really well. I guess I didn't count on that."

"It is expected of an arrancar at my level."

"Right, of course." _How silly of me._

She gazed at him as he looked outwards. _Everything he does is marked by pure duty,_ she thought. She felt admiration towards him in this aspect. Everything he did reflected this. It reminded her of her own seriousness in her studies. She suddenly remembered her school, her classmates, and friends._ And here I am, training with the enemy,_ she thought, disgusted with herself.

"Does it really take months to get prepared?"

He looked over at her nonchalantly and responded, "For hollows, it is a much quicker transformation process. This is because they are already embodied with spirit particles. You, on the other hand, are human, and it is uncertain how long it will take for you to get accustomed to high levels of reiatsu. However, the time Aizen has suggested should suffice. Judging by your progress today, I expect it might take half the time."

She felt her cheeks flush at the positive critique, and Ulquiorra noticed that she seemed pleased with his statement. He considered explaining to her that his comment was meant as an observation and not a compliment, but then his thoughts drifted to several days ago. He was not completely certain, but he thought he understood her reaction better because of what had happened with the libélula. _It is odd how strongly the things I say can have impact on her emotions, and emerge physically in her demeanor. Though, she is certainly the type to overreact. Perhaps this is why what happened to me days ago was so noticeable. It must have something to do with the magnitude of how she allows herself to be impacted by others._

"I want to get stronger," she suddenly said, her face still warm. Though she knew he probably did not mean his comment as a compliment, she decided to take it as such. "It's something I've always wanted. I like being useful."

The last sentence betrayed her lips. She had just revealed to him one of her deepest insecurities. _Why did I just tell him that?_ With her face even redder, she slowly drifted her eyes towards his face, curious to see if he was still looking at her. He was. He merely stared, saying nothing. _Thank God he's the silent type. _

His response startled her, "I have trained a number of arrancar. Though your training will certainly be more tedious given your odd abilities and the fact that you are human, in my experience it has typically been the case that the arrancar with the most resolve learn more quickly than others. You should keep this in mind throughout your training, as it will prove to be more efficient."

Orihime did not know how to respond to this. Whether he had known it or not, he had effectively just given her a word of encouragement. Though she knew he was saying this to speed up her training, she still appreciated it. A smile emerged on her face.

Ulquiorra noticed the look on her face, but remained silent.

They eventually arrived at her door, upon which Orihime gave her thanks. "Thank you," she said sweetly, her words holding double meaning. "I will see you tomorrow."

The servant had just arrived with her food, however, and Ulquiorra stayed to watch her eat, as usual. For the first time, Orihime questioned his presence. She had accepted Aizen's help. It should be clear by now that she was on their side, even though she really was not. She was obviously starving, so there would be no incentive for her not to eat. _Why is he here, then?_ She stole glances at him while she ate. His expression remained the same.

His thoughts mimicked hers. He supposed that staying had been out of habit. After all, she was clearly famished, but his thoughts were very focused on how his words could have such an effect on her. He had expected her reaction; he carefully chose the words so that they would appear neutral, but could also be taken to mean something positive, and he was right. She indeed expressed happiness at his words. He chided himself in being allowed to be distracted by curiosity. _Perhaps the reiatsu has not completely worn off?_ he questioned. Yet, this was a pointless question; he knew that it had. What, then, was keeping him there? After further reflection, he decided that it had to be frustration at not having fully understood the events surrounding Orihime's reiatsu. _Perhaps observing more of her reactions will allow me to comprehend the entirety of the changes in the previous weeks. _In any event, he was going to be spending a lot of time with her in the coming days. This would give him plenty of opportunities to make his investigations.

.oOo.

For the next three weeks, the training sessions continued much like that of the first day. On some days, Orihime's progress was significant, on some days not. One day, for some strange reason, her abilities had actually regressed.

"Wh-what?" she cried when Ulquiorra had explained to her what had happened.

"Your tolerance has decreased. It is highly unusual."

"How is that possible? I've been working so hard…" she trailed off. She could feel her eyes water.

"It is not a significant difference. You merely collapsed at a slightly lower reiatsu level today."

Orihime nervously started playing with her hair. It didn't matter. This was like failing a test— how could Aizen have any use for her now? She could feel the hot tears trickling down her face. Her voice breaking, she asked, "Does this mean I'm not capable of handling the change?"

Ulquiorra noticed the breakage in her voice and was startled to see her crying.

_Not now_…he thought. He was not in the mood to handle a blubbering woman.

"I am certain this is temporary. There is no need for hysterics," he responded.

His comment bit.

"I'm _not_ being hysterical. It's natural to be upset at failure!" she wailed.

He tried calming her down. "It would be useful to simply wait until tomorrow. If it appears to be a pattern, then we should have reason to be concerned. But if you continue to progress normally in the next several days, then you should have no reason to worry."

This seemed to work.

"OK."

She sniffed all the way back to her room. As the servant entered, she turned to Ulquiorra.

"Um…"

He stared at her, waiting for her to respond.

"Um…"

"What is it?"

"Would you mind letting me eat by myself today? I just want to be alone."

The request came out of nowhere and it showed on his face.

"Don't worry; you can come back and make sure I've eaten all of my food," she offered.

"That won't be necessary. I will leave."

Orihime felt guilty, but she did not want him hanging around watching her continue to sob.

Ulquiorra did not know what to think about her request. She had never asked him to leave. Going back on his word, he came back an hour later, out of curiosity, after reporting what had happened to Aizen. He came to her door just in time as the servant was stepping out. He told the servant to wait, and opened the silver tray covers to see whether she had eaten. She had. The plate was licked clean. _She never does that in front of me_, he noted.

Since the door was still open, he let himself in.

Distracted by her thoughts, Orihime did not notice that the door had not closed. She was looking out her window into the dark skies, heavily contemplating something and talking to herself.

Ulquiorra stood silently at her door.

She sighed deeply. "I hope I'm not getting weaker. After so much of this struggle, I just want to prove that I can _do_ something! All that training has me _exhausted_, and if accepting his help has only led me this far, I'll probably just die of depression." She paused. "But…what Ulquiorra-kun said was right."

Ulquiorra's attention intensified at the sound of his name.

"He said that those with the most resolve are the ones who turn out the strongest." She smiled to herself. "Those words really have helped me. I've just wanted to give up so many times. But I won't." She giggled. "Plus, it'll be so interesting to see whether or not I'll be able to take him. I think the first order of business after my transformation will be to challenge him in a fight."

"Don't press your luck," came a deep voice from behind her.

She spun around, startled. Her face flushed a deep pink.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

"You need to quit doing that, and I thought you said you weren't coming back today," she complained, thoroughly embarrassed.

He ignored her comment. "I have spoken with Aizen-sama about today's training."

Her face grew white. "You _what_?"

"It was necessary. However, you needn't worry. He stated that this is quite normal for someone who strenuously trains." He paused, uncertain about whether he should repeat what Aizen had said next. Curiosity got the better of him. "He expected it to happen sooner, in fact, which suggests that he is not displeased with your progress."

Her eyes grew wide. She seemed relieved. "So what now?" she asked, in a much lighter mood.

Satisfied that he had guessed correctly at her reaction, he answered her question.

"He recommends that you take the next several days to allow your body to rest."

"Oh."

"There is one other thing. Aizen-sama has decided to relax some of your restrictions, given that you are almost a comrade."

His last words stung. She didn't like being called a "comrade". Looking down at her feet, she quietly asked, "What do you mean?"

"He has given you permission to leave this room during allotted times. However, should you choose to do so, you will be supervised."

_So Aizen still doesn't trust me, _she thought_. Well, that doesn't matter. I still don't trust him._

"Where am I allowed to go?"

"Anywhere within the confines of the palace, as long as you stay away from the forbidden areas."

"Who's going to be supervising me?"

"One of the palace servants."

She felt a subtle ripple of disappointment. She knew why. She refused to allow her thoughts to drift in that direction.

"When can I go out?"

"After either of your latter meals, every other day, starting tomorrow. You need only give word to the servant who retrieves your dishes. Someone will soon arrive to take you wherever you wish."

"Is that blue-sky place forbidden?"

"No."

She knew exactly where she was headed first.


	11. Promenade

A cool breeze kissed Orihime's face as she admired the deception of the cerulean dome. The seconds she spent passing through this place on the way to her daily training escapades were not enough. Spending more time under the blue skies was refreshing, but it still only gave her a small taste of the real world in an entirely foreign dimension. She sighed several times. The servant silently stood behind her. He did not say much; he usually only gave her stern warnings about forbidden places as soon as she started heading in those general directions.

The blue-sky place, as she liked to call it, would soon become her favorite place to go. She would eventually spend her entire allotted time there –about one-and-a-half hours—just gazing at the sunlessly lit sky.

She had not seen Ulquiorra again since her last day of training. She hated to admit it, but she had gotten very used to having him around. _At least he talks to me sometimes, unlike the servant,_ she thought. She finally saw him again a couple of days later when her training resumed.

Ulquiorra began the same way again, standing yards away and emanating some ridiculously high reiatsu level. Though he never spoke during their training sessions, she soon began to realize that if she paid attention, his eyes revealed everything she needed to know. As his spiritual pressure started to rise and fall, she slowly grew accustomed to the way the subtle changes in his expressions would accompany the reiatsu levels. She, after all, had nothing better to look at. She now started to accept the fact that, yes, he is really handsome, but no, that does not mean anything else. Looking at him during her sessions made sense, she justified, because it made the training more efficient. She found that when his reiatsu grew particularly strong—at the moment where she could literally feel her knees buckling from the extraordinary pressure of his power—his gaze grew ever so slightly more demanding, as if to challenge her to remain standing. And stand she did. His eyes then flashed something akin to satisfaction. It was almost obvious. She originally dismissed it entirely as trickery in her mind, but the fluctuation of his reiatsu always coincided with what she read in his countenance. Whenever she rose to the challenge in his eyes, the reiatsu perceptibly eased, as if to reward her for her struggle. On several occasions, she thought she had read encouragement in his visage. She knew this had to be false, but whenever her thoughts drifted to the day he openly talked about resolve, the uncertainty loomed.

Even so, Orihime's training evolved into something entirely other that day. As her perseverance sharply adapted to the shifting of his power, his insight about her limits grew particularly keen. They grew in close acquaintance to each other's tendencies, playing their intuitions against one another in an intricate, ocular dance.

As the first interval of her training continued in this manner, Ulquiorra was pleased at the progress. The cohesion of their reflexes was striking. He finally took his first step towards her to test whether she would waver, but Orihime did not miss a beat, and he proceeded to raise and lower his reiatsu in sync with her anticipation.

Their promenade continued like this until he stood but several inches away from her. As the reiatsu around them grew thick, there was something about his gaze at that moment that Orihime could not read. It was not a challenge that he was giving her this time; rather, he seemed to be searching for something. _What does he want? _The answer remained unclear as he stood challenging her with his power. Under normal circumstances Orihime would have collapsed long ago, and the training would have ended, but the days of rest had rejuvenated her in a way that doubled her capacity. So though the weight of his reiatsu was crushingly strong, she was able to handle it longer.

But only up until a point.

She fainted, and did not wake until the next day.

.oOo.

Ulquiorra caught her as soon as she fainted. Usually she would remain conscious, but her since her abilities had increased two-fold, her body was still reacting to the changes. Not quite certain about what to do with the limp woman on his arm, he stood awkwardly, one hand in his pocket and the other under her stomach. Perhaps she would wake soon. Several minutes passed before he realized that she would not.

The training that day had impressed him. He had suspicions that she would be stronger, so from the start he released larger levels of reiatsu, and she rose to every challenge he threw. Her talent at reading his expressions was completely unexpected. She had easily deciphered what he wanted, and it was remarkable how she had responded so well. When he stood but several inches away from her, he wondered if she could read his thoughts as well as his face. _What is it that gives you so much resolve, woman? You know that my power can absolutely crush you, yet you seem to think that you can handle whatever I give._ He was utterly baffled by the broad range of her personality as he stood before her. She was extremely weak in some respects but incredibly strong in others. In that moment, his thoughts about her had distracted him, and he absentmindedly raised his reiatsu to a level she could not handle. This was when he caught her fall.

Growing bored with waiting for her to wake, he finally placed one hand under her knees and supported her back with the other. He lifted her with ease, eventually drifting downwards towards her room. Upon arriving, he walked over to her couch and placed her on it. As he removed his arms from under her, one of his hands accidentally brushed against hers, and he felt a jolt. Startled, he immediately straightened himself.

_What…_

Her hand innocently rested over the side of the couch. She was peacefully asleep.

But Ulquiorra knew what he felt. He unzipped the top of his garment and checked. The hole was just as big and empty and ungolden as ever.

It was unmistakable, the echo of many weeks past. _Impossible. How can it still be within me?_ He furiously contemplated the implications of what he just felt. After debating with himself for several moments, he hesitantly reached over and touched her wrist. Nothing. Utterly perplexed about why he was even considering what was in his thoughts, he finally gave in and slowly wrapped his pale, white fingers along the delicate backs of hers. Still nothing. He awkwardly held her hand for several moments. _This is utterly pointless. _He immediately dropped her hand, straightened upwards, and left the room. He tried to ignore what had just happened, but somewhere in the haste of his movements, acknowledgement of the novelty subtly pushed its way into the recesses of his mind.

.oOo.

The next week held more intense training sessions. The brief recession in her capacity to withstand reiatsu and her most recent collapse was a small price to pay, for her ability to withstand his spiritual pressure started increasing almost exponentially each day. Their silent dialogue also grew in efficiency. She was now able to tell exactly when he would begin, as opposed to being taken off guard like she had before. She also started taking steps towards him instead of waiting for him to move. The first time she did this, it surprised him. He was not entirely certain she could move in the midst of the pressure, but she proved him wrong. After only a month of training, their promenade underwent a slow evolution of alternating steps. First him, then her, until they met in the center, inches away from each other.

She collapsed no more. It was a combination of her strength and the fact that he was able to sense her limits with increased efficacy. He now simply eased his reiatsu when her training for the day was complete, allowed her some time to catch her breath, and continued downwards and back to her chambers without a word. Their method was ideal.

Orihime took advantage of her outings whenever she could. It was always the same servant who led her out, and she always went to catch a glimpse of the clouds in the blue-sky place. Once in a while, she would wander throughout the palace halls, but the palace was so big, she knew that she would need days just to explore it all, and she was only given about an hour and a half a sitting.

One day, as wandered around the palace, she looked back and noticed that the servant who was supposed to be following her was gone. She retraced her steps a bit, certain he would be around the corner, but he was nowhere to be found. She grew anxious. _I have no idea where I am, and these halls all look the same! _She continued walking until she heard footsteps echoing in the distance. She froze. She remembered what Ulquiorra had said to her about other arrancar not being as respectful of Aizen's orders. How anyone would be stupid enough to disobey him was beyond her. She decided that to show fear would be unwise, so she continued walking.

A lone arrancar could be seen approaching her. He was tall, with medium length brown hair, rugged features, and the number one engraved in black on his left hand, she soon noticed. He seemed to be distracted by something as he walked; his pace was about the same as Ulquiorra's—leisurely.

As soon as he noticed her, he squinted his eyes as he looked her up and down. "Well, well. It seems you've been given some freedom to roam the halls on your own. I heard you were going to join the ranks, is that so?"

"I wasn't alone when I left my room. I think I lost my chaperone. Have you seen him?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't," he replied.

"Are you one of the Espada?" Orihime asked.

"You could say that."

He shoved his left hand into a white glove. "I am Coyote Starrk. You are Orihime Inoue, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"You know, formalities really annoy me," he replied distractedly. "They distance people and that makes them a little depressing, don't you think?"

Orihime did not know what to say.

"You can call me Starrk."

"Yes, sir…I mean…" she chuckled lightly.

"What do you do in that room all by yourself?" he suddenly asked.

"Well, I have some cards that I play with sometimes, but my training keeps me occupied now. And Aizen-sama has been gracious enough to allow me to leave my room every other day."

He looked at her, vaguely interested. "I spend a lot of time in my room, too. Lilynette is always complaining about that, but I really don't care. Maybe I should tell her to play cards with you. She can be fun when she's not running around being a pain, and if she's with you, she won't wake me up from my naps anymore."

_Who is he talking about? _Orihime wondered. The thought of company and new people to talk to was enticing. Still, she was uncertain about the implications of making friends with the enemy.

"I—I don't know. I don't think I'm allowed to have visitors."

"Hmmm…Anyway, you shouldn't be alone here. It can be dangerous. Do you need another chaperone?"

"I-uh…"

"That won't be necessary," boomed a deep voice from behind her. It was Ulquiorra. "Where is the servant?" he asked Orihime sharply.

"I don't know. I was wandering around the halls and turned around, and he was gone."

"You must return to your chambers at once."

"Oh, come _on,_" Starrk interjected, "she's not going to do anything wrong. You should let her live a little. I know you sure could use a little living yourself."

"She is under strict orders from Aizen-sama. If you have any objections to this, I suggest you discuss it with him. In the meantime," he looked at Orihime, "you must return to your chambers."

Orihime did not like the way she was being spoken to. It had been a long time since anyone had defended her like that. She had forgotten what it felt like, and she could feel the loathsome sensation of being treated as a prisoner bubbling up from deep within her. Wandering around the halls and the training sessions had given her a small taste of having a say in her own life again. Ulquiorra's callousness had snuffed that out in an instant.

She looked at Ulquiorra. "I don't know my way back," she said flatly.

"I can take you back," Starrk offered. "It's on my way."

"Ok—"

"That won't be necessary," Ulquiorra interjected sharply.

"Oh, so you want to spend a little bit of time with her, eh?" Starrk replied, annoyed. "I don't blame you, she's quite a looker."

Orihime turned red. She looked at Ulquiorra. His expression was icy. With more than a hint of irritation in his voice he responded, "What nonsense." He turned his back to both of them and began walking towards Orihime's room. "Follow me, woman."

"She has a _name, _you know," Starrk voiced bemusedly. "Not all of us are this rude," he said in an aside to Orihime, who had not moved.

"Instead of giving people advice on how to execute their duties, you would do well to perform your own." He turned his head and shot Orihime a glance. From all of the subtlety she learned in her training, she immediately could tell that he wanted her to end the conversation with Starrk. This instantly startled her. The ability to read his expressions outside of training caught her off guard.

"Touché," replied Starrk with a lazy smirk. "It seems your commander is annoyed, _Inoue-san,_" he said loud enough for Ulquiorra to hear. "I really should get back, anyway…I'm tired."

"Yes, it was nice meeting you, goodbye," she responded.

Not wanting to have to walk behind Ulquiorra, she jogged all the way to step in place beside him. She reflected on what just happened. _I can't believe that I could read his expressions outside of training. Is it that I'm being exposed to his reiatsu so much? Has that affected things?_

The walk back to her room was silent. Both were consumed in their own thoughts.

Ulquiorra opened up the entryway to her room.

"Thank you," she said, "and for helping me find my way back." Their eyes met.

Though she still felt some resentment at how he treated her, she knew that he was not childish enough for her to consider it an attack on her free will.

"How did you escape the servant?"

The question brought back her feelings of anger. "I wasn't _escaping_. I told you, I don't know what happened. I just sort of looked around at some point, and he was gone. Why don't you believe me?"

Ulquiorra initially responded with silence. He could tell that she was hurt; she expected him to believe her, and the thought of this was perplexing.

"You expect me to trust you." It was a statement, not a question.

"I'm training to become an Espada. I thought that meant something." She was well aware that it did not. She knew where her true loyalties lay. However, she was very reluctant to admit to herself that she also did not want to lie to Ulquiorra. So for everything but her loyalties, her word was good.

"So you have abandoned your former loyalties, then?"

Orihime looked down to the ground. If she could read him, he could read her, too.

"Well, believe it or not, I do trust _you._" It was a foolhardy response, and she was uncertain whether she believed it herself. Something told her that she meant what she said.

"I've noticed what's been going on in my training," she quickly explained. "You've been so careful not to make me collapse anymore. I know part of it is that I've gotten stronger, but you also have gotten really good at knowing me…you don't breach my limits. So I can tell that it hasn't been my strength alone that has made me better. If you were really indifferent about the whole thing, I would have fainted much more than just once."

The sound of her voice reverberated in the halls. The following silence was deadening.

She hesitantly looked up at him after several moments in uncertainty, second-guessing everything she said. He was not looking at her. His head was turned to the side so that she could only see the part of his face uncovered by the mask. She could feel herself drinking in his features. Her heart thumped.

"I am merely performing my duties. It is expected that precision increase over time." But he was still looking away from her so that she could not read his face.

After a pause, he finally looked back at her. "And you would be wise not to give your trust so willingly."

"I don't, usually," something compelled her to say. Her voice was soft.

There was a shift in his eyes just then, but they quickly resumed to their usual stoicism.

Orihime turned her face in a slight blush. _What am I saying? _

"Anyway, I'm really tired. I really should get to sleep. Good night," she said.

He responded by locking her door.

.oOo.

Behind the door, Orhime's face blushed harder. Her thoughts were scrambled. She wrung her hands, confused about what she was feeling. _I never even say such things to Kurosaki-kun._

Suddenly, it dawned on her. She had just compared Ulquiorra Schiffer to Ichigo Kurosaki. The latter of whom she was supposed to love. Why had she picked Kurosaki to compare?

_Does this mean…_

_No_…No…_NO!_

_I CAN'T have feelings for him. I can't! I can't…_

It was minuscule, nowhere close to love or even infatuation, but denial is often evidence of the truth of the thing denied. She knew she still had feelings for Ichigo, but she also knew that they had faded. Not seeing him every day and establishing a pseudo-relationship with the Fourth Espada had done that. If Ichigo were to come to her now, however, she was certain that all of her feelings would rekindle in an instant. Was it possible to have feelings for two different people?

She suddenly grew very depressed.

.oOo.

Ulquiorra mulled over the conversation he just had. He was utterly perplexed, and her words kept repeating over and over again in his mind. _Believe it or not, I trust you._ How had he ever given her the impression that he was trustworthy?

_The woman is immensely deceived. She has confused my adeptness with protection. _

This definitely gave Aizen an advantage. _Yet, the woman's trust is fragile_, he thought. To break her trust would destroy any genuine links she had to Aizen. Her words flashed in his thoughts again, the look in her eyes accompanying them. She had placed her trust in one of Aizen's most powerful allies. There emerged a familiar feeling of novelty as he continued to mull over the meaning of her words. He forced himself back into apathy upon contemplation, and once more it was the forcing that bothered him. Why should he care whether she trusted him or not? It was completely irrelevant to any of Aizen's purposes, despite the fact that it would certainly be convenient.

Whether her trust was more to him than a serendipitous segment in his master's schemes, however, continued to prod his curiosity about the girl. She had created, on her part, an element of camaraderie. Despite his broad knowledge of the woman's misgivings, Ulquiorra still could not fully understand all of her oddities. Every premise, every assumption about her that he had carefully crafted was continuously being reevaluated. Whether he realized it or not, or whether he chose to ignore it, it was unmistakable that the amount of time he spent dwelling on her behavior had increased.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by very faint voices as he walked through the corridors. He stopped and strained his ears.

"Next time, grab her when I tell you, you idiot! It was hard enough kidnapping the servant!"

"I'm _sorry_, Loly! I was nervous. Do you have any idea what Aizen-sama would do to us if we got caught?"

"Shut up! We weren't doing anything, we were just going to talk to her. Send her a little message. If Starrk wasn't in the hallway just then, it would have worked. Next time, just do what I tell you. Meet me here again in two days. Ugh, I can't stand that big-boobed tramp!" Their voices faded completely as they continued walking down the hallway.

_So. It seems the woman's escape was no accident._ Ulquiorra considered reporting this to Aizen, but he knew that the women were not foolish enough to try anything with one of Aizen's more significant subordinates. _It would be a waste of breath to attempt to bring this to his attention. No…there is a better, more subtle way to address the problem._

.oOo.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Subsequent updates will probably take longer than usual within the coming weeks; I have finals, papers, the holidays, and I'm starting my master's thesis. I will, however, try very hard to update every two weeks, at the very latest.


	12. This

Several days after Orihime's previous exchange with the Fourth Espada, there was a sharp knock on her door. It opened to reveal a tall Espada with brown hair.

"Surprise," Starrk sarcastically said.

"Oh! Starrk-san! What are you doing here?"

"Ulquiorra had to go to the human world for some research, so Aizen-sama asked me to train you today."

"Oh, I see."

Wondering about the odd turn of events, Orihime followed Starrk outside. They walked to a random spot Starrk had picked out. It was in the middle of the desert sands and away from the dome of Las Noches. Orihime liked the change.

Upon arriving, Starrk stood very close to her and eased his reiatsu out immediately instead of backing away from her like Ulquiorra usually did. This caught Orihime off guard, and she crumpled to the floor.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Inoue-san!" he yelled, absolutely horrified. "Are you alright?"

"Heh, heh. It's OK. I guess I'm just not used to your reiatsu, that's all," she said, dusting the sand off of her dress. "I've gotten so accustomed to the feel and style of Ulquiorra's method. Let's try again."

"Right."

Starrk eased out his reiatsu much more slowly and at a much lower density than the last time. It was very light.

"You can increase your level; this is a bit lower than I'm used to."

"Right."

He raised his reiatsu very hesitantly, afraid to make her collapse, but the change was marginal. She told him once again that he could raise his reiatsu.

He shot her a worried glance and raised it again, but the difference was still very slight.

"Is that too much?"

"No, you can raise it higher. Really, Ulquiorra-kun has trained me to handle a fairly large level."

"Hmmm."

Ignoring her comment, his pattern of raising his reiatsu at minimal levels continued. It was not until about fifteen minutes later that he realized she could handle much heavier power. After seeing her collapse the first time, however, he remained hesitant. Seeing her fall had brought back memories of the countless hollow that had dissipated from mere exposure to his reiatsu. She seemed to have progressed fairly well under Ulquiorra, but he still did not fully trust himself. Nevertheless, he did not want her to think him a failure, and he wanted to be able to report something useful back to Aizen. Starrk's meeting with Orihime in the hallway had eventually reached Aizen's ears. Even though Ulquiorra was indeed doing work in the human world, the real reason behind her session with Starrk was to strengthen her ties with the Espada. Ulquiorra wasted no time telling Aizen about the trust she had spoken of, so Aizen thought it would be beneficial to give Orihime exposure to some of his more reasonable subordinates.

"What does Ulquiorra usually do during your training?" Starrk finally asked.

"Oh, well, first he walks about several yards away from me and then he raises his reiatsu to a level that he knows I'm used to, and then slowly raises it until he can tell I can't really handle it anymore, and then—"

"How does he know that?"

"How does he know what?"

"What level you can handle?"

"Well, part of it is that he's used to training with me. But, I don't know, we both sort of have this system. He can read my expressions really well, and I can tell when he's going to raise his reiatsu next. It's taken us a little while to learn how to train this way, but it's really effective. He's really very good at it. It still surprises me, to be honest."

"Sounds impressive—so he just looks at you and can tell?"

"Well…something like that."

Starrk gave her a smirk.

"What?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Shall we continue?"

"Uh—yes."

"Good. I'll try Ulquiorra's way. I will raise my reiatsu higher. Be ready."

He walked several yards away, facing her. He decided to raise it several notches lower than when he had started.

Unfortunately, it was still too high. Orihime fainted.

.oOo.

Orihime awoke an hour later. She found Starrk seated in the corner of her room, on the floor. When he heard her shuffle, he walked over to her and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were in a coma. I apologize. It has…been a while since I have practiced with my reiatsu levels." His expression was very dark.

"Oh, it's ok. It's happened with Ulquiorra before."

Judging by the look on his face, Orhime could tell this did not appease him. There was suddenly a knock on her door.

"That must be the food. Come in!" she called.

Ulquiorra walked in, followed by the usual servant.

"Ulquiorra. I thought you were out in the human world today," said Starrk.

"My work did not take as long as I had anticipated. I also came to inspect the woman's state. I heard from one of the servants that she was unconscious."

The scowl on Starrk's face grew dimmer. "I'm afraid I'm not as good as training her as you are. She told me about the system you have. She spoke very highly of your skills. I must say, I'm impressed. You must know her very well to be able to shift your reiatsu so sensitively."

Remembering her previous conversation with Ulquiorra, Orihime's eyes grew wide at Starrk's comment. She did not look at the Fourth Espada.

Ulquiorra said nothing at Starrk's remark, though his eyes shifted briefly to the young woman on the sofa. Her expression was expected.

"Well, I must leave; I have other matters to attend to," Starrk replied. But his tone was melancholy, as if he suddenly remembered something he wanted to forget.

.oOo.

Coyote Starrk anxiously left Orihime's room. He could not bear to see another person negatively impacted by his reiatsu.

He cursed.

_I didn't think I would have to deal with this again, _he thought. It had been a while since anyone had died in his presence. He had spent so much of his time wasting away in his room, communicating only with Lilynette, Aizen, and relatively strong arrancar. He had almost forgotten the gloom of effortless victory—almost. But this was no victory. If Orhime had not been trained by Ulquiorra, she might have been dead. She was the first person outside of the realm of Las Noches who did not disappear in his presence. The whole time he stood in the hallway talking to her during their first meeting, he was amazed at her ability to withstand him. It seemed that Ulquiorra had indeed cultivated something extraordinary through her training.

Nevertheless, he was still hesitant to accept his order to train her. He coddled his isolation because it was something familiar to him—a very deep part of his existence he was reluctant to relinquish, however short the time period he was required to be without it. That a human being was able to withstand him was certainly impressive, but his capacity to kill her was still a very real threat. Because of this, he would much rather stick to his confinement routine.

After all, his soul had long since adapted to the bitter taste of solitude; these days, its effect on him was practically saccharine.

.oOo.

Orihime had not spoken to Ulquiorra since their awkward conversation. She welcomed the change in routine when she trained with Starrk, but it had proved to be a disaster. _I think I actually missed training with him,_ she realized upon contemplation. She tried telling herself that this was because of his skill, but the blaring anxiety in waiting to see him hinted otherwise. Deathly afraid of the implications of this, she rationalized her thoughts. _Orihime! There's no reason to be worried! He's just really good at what he does, and it was frustrating not being able to keep up with Starrk-san. You feel better with Ulquiorra-kun because you can handle yourself with him. Starrk-san just makes you feel weak because you're not strong enough to train with him…_The fact that Orihime had recently been taken in by Ulquiorra's appealing features was something she conveniently did not affirm, but the energy she spent ruminating on her inner conflict was beginning to bother her. _You shouldn't be thinking about it so much. It's not a big deal._ She continued analyzing her feelings, suddenly coming to the conclusion that it was almost time for her training that day. The butterflies in her stomach instantly danced about, extracting a harsh frown on her face. _Stop it!_

A familiar voice announced itself at her door. She felt her heart skip a beat.

As soon as she laid eyes on him, the dancing in her stomach switched to romp and frolic, forcing her to acknowledge that what was happening could no longer be ignored.

Ulquiorra walked in, impassive and apathetic. She hesitantly followed him out, taking utter care to act normally as her thoughts raced.

The training went smoothly as usual, but she reluctantly found herself searching for his eyes more intensely than usual. Usually she would periodically look off to the side throughout their routine, but not that day. She was startled to find that his eyes never left hers. She wondered whether this was normal, and her heart jumped at the notion of his continuous gaze. _Calm down! None of this means anything, and it shouldn't mean anything…_

Recognizing that even if the thing she dreaded was true, she could never, ever allow herself to hope for requital of any sort. It was an impossibility of magnanimous proportions, and she must immediately take the proper steps to prevent herself from sinking into another emotional misfortune.

Upon the end of her training, she dejectedly followed him back to her room.

"See you tomorrow," she said as he shut the door.

.oOo.

Several hours later, Orihime heard the knock. Expecting the servant to take her on her daily outing within the dome, she was utterly shocked to find Ulquiorra standing several feet away from her.

"What are you doing here?"

"The servants are no longer disposed to escorting you. I will be accompanying you in their stead from now on."

"Oh. Well, that's OK. I just hope you don't get too bored!"

"Let us get on with it," he retorted, indicating that she had spoken too soon.

She walked alongside of him nervously, mapping out in her mind how she was going to address this suspicious turn of events. He lifted them up to the room with the clouds and sky. When they arrived at her favorite spot, she looked upwards for several minutes before something suddenly dawned on her.

"How did you know that this is where I wanted to go?" she asked, eyes wide.

"The servants have instructed me of your whereabouts. I am aware that you come here often."

"Oh." This brought her immense satisfaction. She tried reasoning it away, but she could not with him standing beside her. She started blushing, and quickly grew fearful that he would see. She swiftly looked away from him and up at the clouds. _I absolutely don't want him reading my thoughts about _this.

She decided her best option was to merely avoid him. Make no conversation whatsoever. She would remain silent, and she would only look at him during training. She was determined.

"You are staring at the sky rather intently. In my view, the inside of the palace walls are far more aesthetically pleasing than this location."

Orihime stifled a laugh. She could not help but look at him, vexed at the lack of her fortitude.

His eyes were shifted upwards, in an expression of mild distaste.

"Bahahahaha!" she laughed, "This sky is so bright and beautiful! How can you possibly not prefer it to the white walls?"

"Beauty is a relative preference. I prefer the symmetry of architecture."

"Well, IIIIIII don't!" She resumed her admiration of the clouds above, cocking her head to the side, and placing her hands on her hips.

He watched her, watching the skies, noting her effervescence. Her personality compared to his was utterly opposite—opposite from this world, opposite from himself.

"Me and my brother always used to pick out shapes and clouds," she spoke, unable to contain herself. It was so easy to talk to Ulquiorra. He always listened in silence, storing her every word into a vast bank of memory. Though she was convinced this was not out of interest, she appreciated it nonetheless.

"We would always fight over what we thought something was. Him trying convince me something was a bicycle, and me trying to tell him that no, it was a pair of eyeglasses, haha! He usually won those fights. Look!" she abruptly shouted, "That one is JUST like a zanpakuto!" She pointed to a long cloud above her.

Uninterested, Ulquiorra shifted his eyes to the cloud.

"Doesn't it?" she yelped excitedly. She looked at him, waiting for a response. He merely glanced at her, annoyed.

"Oh my gosh, you agree with me!" she squeaked.

"I am not inclined to play these silly games."

"But you agree! I know that look; you _know_it looks like a sword!"

"These games are—"

"Ahahahaha! I got you to play a game with me!"

"Nonsense, I—"

"Oh, come _on_, it's something _different_, you can't argue with that!" she smiled. After several moments, she turned very serious, remembering her loneliness in the forsaken kingdom.

"Novelty is so much more meaningful after being trapped in routine for so long."

Ulquiorra stared at her. She kept talking, completely oblivious of the significance of her words.

"Sitting there all of those weeks in my chambers, you have no idea what it meant to go out and train, to do something of use. I really was about to go crazy. And being out here, not just doing this all by myself, well, it's more than a prisoner could ask for."

"How can you do this?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You are a prisoner. You are hardly given any freedoms, yet your optimism persists."

"I-I don't know," she finally said. "My heart finds strength in the little things. Not being completely alone in this process has helped me a lot. Please—" she said quickly, before he could object, "I know you're just following orders. But the other day when I trained with Starrk-san, I realized that even though they're just orders, you follow them _well_. This has really…helped me. I know that probably wasn't your intention, but I'm really grateful for it anyway."

Orihime could not avoid his eyes. Those glimmering, aquamarine irises were locked on her face, as though she had just uttered something incomprehensible. She could not look away.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The look she gave him was perplexing, and Ulquiorra found it difficult to bend his gaze. Her eyes were honest and warm, her expression free of any hesitation. He felt himself react internally to what was happening, unable to pinpoint precisely what was causing him to respond. He stood in uncertainty for several moments before finally, he recognized it in her face. It was very subtle, but it was familiar. In all of his years of observing humans, in all of his elaborate notes, in all of his exhaustive analysis, never once did he think he would ever see _this_ directed at him. Unable to believe what he thought he saw, he arched his back upwards. _This cannot be._

"Enough of this."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to say—" Orihime squeaked, realizing her grave mistake.

"It is unnecessary," he said coldly. "We must leave. It is time to return to your chambers."

She nodded in silence, a pink shade coloring her cheeks.

Their walk to her door was pregnant with awkward tension.

.oOo.


	13. Indifference

Author's Note:

It feels so **_good_** to be done with finals! :3

I want to take the time to thank everyone who has favorited, alerted, and left reviews. They are extremely encouraging, and I'm ashamed that I have not taken the time to express my gratitude thus far. I actually feel bad for not thanking everyone individually, so please forgive my rudeness. It's also friggin' cool to know that the Ulquihime fandom is so vast. There really is something fascinating about this pairing. Anyway, thanks to everyone who keeps coming back to read.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra and Orihime headed back into the palace halls, treading in complete silence.<p>

Two pairs of eyes lurked in a crook of the walls. Orihime, head down in embarrassment, had purposely walked in front of Ulquiorra, so she did not notice the two females hiding in the darkness. Ulquiorra, too astute to be misguided by distraction, instantly shot them a menacing glance. Realization spread across their horrified faces as his cold, definite eyes administered a severe warning to whomever so much as thought of laying a finger on Aizen's newest comrade. He dragged his steps a bit, solidifying his silent reprimand before eventually returning to his usual apathy.

When Loly was certain she was out of earshot, she cursed.

"How did he find out? How does he know? He spends all his time protecting that–" but she stopped, another realization dawning on her.

She grabbed Menoly's arm. "Stay with me," she commanded.

"Why? Maybe we should just leave—"

"Ulquiorra thinks he has the upper hand in this? We can play this game, too! I'm not letting that cow take over what I know is mine."

Wait they did. Ulquiorra returned from Orihime's room, heading towards his own chambers.

"Ulquiorra."

He scoffed at Loly, the arrogance in his eyes making it very clear that he did not wish to chat with the likes of them.

"You're sweet on that tramp, aren't you?" she said loudly.

He turned his head halfway to face her. "Watch your tongue. You, unlike the woman, are not under Aizen-sama's protection." His voice was as stone, nicking her where it hurt most.

"You son of…" she started to say, but composed herself, knowing a better response. Clenching her fists, she spat, "Are you sure you're protecting her for Aizen-sama's sake only?"

Ulquiorra ignored her, continuing to walk onwards.

"I mean, you spend all your time with her during the day, and now you're taking her on little outings whenever you get the chance. If Aizen-sama suspects anything, he'll—"

In seconds, Ulquiorra stood inches behind Loly, concentrating his reiatsu and bringing her to collapse. The other one, Menoly, attempted to stop him, but his index finger was pointed directly at her face sooner than she could react.

"Move another inch and you will suffer the consequences," he threatened.

He stood above a choking Loly, looking down at her in disgust. "Fool. Any inkling of a threat to her comfort destroys the illusion of security that Aizen-sama has built around her. If she does not feel as though she can comply, all of our efforts will have been wasted. If I have any reason to suspect that you will further threaten Aizen-sama's alliance with the woman, I personally will deliver the message of your interference. He will not tolerate it, despite your idiotic sympathies."

He eased the strength that had emanated from him. "Pathetic. Even the woman has developed a tolerance for such a low level of reiatsu."

He left her gasping for breath, walking onwards and away.

A sly smile spread on Loly's lips as soon as she regained her composure. Her cynical cackle echoed along the hallways.

"What's the matter with you? Maybe we shouldn't be doing this anymore," Menoly hesitantly suggested.

"Shut up! Don't you see what this means? He _definitely _has a thing for her," she crowed.

.oOo.

When Ulquiorra returned to Orihime's room the following day to assist her in training, the uneasiness between them persisted. She half-hoped that Starrk would be back—anything to avoid more awkwardness.

She followed him outside quietly, even in her steps. They went to their usual spot. Still humiliated from the previous day, she did not look at him, and even he found himself occasionally avoiding her. Her performance was certainly superior to the first few weeks of her training, but her progress was considerably more handicapped without looking at his signals. She fell to the ground for the first time in weeks with him. Orihime could feel the tears of frustration forming behind her eyes when she collapsed a third time.

She stood up, rubbing her arm in exhaustion. _This is unacceptable! _She decided to take a quick peek at him. His face was blank, refusing to tell her what he thought about the regression in her progress.

Realizing that a lapse might get her into trouble with Aizen, she gathered her nerves and finally made an honest effort to cultivate some advancement. Thankfully for her, the last half of her training went on as usual.

Orihime was panting and sweating by the end of her session; the earlier half of her training had worn her out, and she could see that Ulquiorra was not pleased.

Orihime attempted to apologize, "I-I'm sorry for my performance today. It seems it's not up to my normal standard. I promise I'll try harder tomorrow."

Ulquiorra did not respond to this. Though she was avoiding his stare, he had periodically avoided hers, and she was making excuses for them both. This irritated him; it not only meant that he was allowing himself to be distracted in his duties, but also that she was taking responsibility for it.

There was also the discomfort marking the previous meeting. Orihime wanted to address it, but how could she? _It's not like I said anything…_

"Um…about yesterday—"

But she could not finish. She was afraid to risk the direction of the conversation.

"We will continue to train normally tomorrow," he replied, ignoring her.

Dismayed, Orihime responded with a tired sigh. Despite the awkward nature of their interactions, she was growing weary of holding her emotions in. She desperately wanted to qualify herself, to explain to him that she was only grateful, that whatever thoughts he had were surely mistaken. Perhaps hearing it out loud would convince her that this was so.

Yet, gawking at him during the second half of her training was not the slightest bit helpful.

.oOo.

Determined to sort out her feelings, Orihime continued to avoid the usual methods of her training. She knew that it would slow her down, but she needed to get over whatever silly emotion was looming over her. She hoped that the Espada would not notice, but knew that she was probably grasping at straws in these wishes. It was more difficult for Ulquiorra to read her limit without direct eye contact, but perhaps after the awkwardness of their previous conversation, he would let her be.

Ulquiorra immediately noticed that the woman had purposely been avoiding him lately; on some occasions, she had even declined the opportunity to visit her favorite place. She consistently circumvented his eyes, and he knew that it had to do with the conversation they had had; he analyzed it over and over for any possible explanations for her behavior. He knew that it had something to do with him, but he simply could not accept the implications of what he had witnessed in her eyes. His first intuitions were usually correct, however, but he remained doubtful . _It is simply impossible. The woman is capable of sympathy, yes, but anything beyond this is foolish even for her. _

The woman's incessant babbling had also begun to cease over time, and she had grown to be somewhat more subdued; though this shift in her usual pattern was somewhat alarming, he knew that it was not a matter of her mental stability, as he had originally would have thought months ago. No, he had come a long way since then. He, who thought he knew everything there was to know about humans, was able to learn at least a little more through Orihime. He had grown to know her actions and reactions very well, especially the thoughts each expression reflected. Despite spending so much time with her, even he was surprised at how well he had come to acquire this skill. Thus, when the woman's persistent talking and overall bubbly personality had dimmed, he knew that the matter was not insignificant. He gave it some time to determine whether it was a passing phase, but as her training continued to be affected, he finally approached the issue.

"Why do you refuse to train properly?" he finally asked after her after training one day.

"What?"

"Your concentration has been noticeably lax. You have not been following the standard procedure for some time now."

Orihime was at a loss for words. How could she tell him it was because she had feelings for him? She had finally admitted this to herself the night before, when Ulquiorra did not appear at any of her meals. Lately he had been coming to at least one meal a day, particularly on the days that she was allowed to exit her room. Even though she had actively been making less conversation lately, she slowly felt herself clinging and looking forward to the time he would spend in her room. It was almost greedy, the way she would conveniently wait for an opportune moment to steal a glimpse at him here and there, to test whether he was looking at her and to feel her blood rush in commotion when their eyes met. When he did not come the previous day, Orihime could not believe her own disappointment; she even questioned the servant about it and lost her appetite as the plates were laid before her. There was also no denying the fluttering in her stomach she would get in the mere anticipation of seeing him, when he spoke to her, when his lustrous eyes pierced hers in pseudo-encouragement, inspiring her strength. She simply could not force herself to quench the excitement that came with being around him, no matter how hard she tried. But she was obviously doing something right, because he noticed.

"I-I guess I wanted to see how well I could do on my own, without the usual methods," she lied.

"On your own? This entire training has consisted of your own toleration of reiatsu. Our method is merely a way to gauge your limits more effectively. Why do you continue to stall your progress?"

Frustrated, Orihime gave an apology, "I'm sorry. I—didn't think it mattered. I just wanted to gauge myself from the beginning of my training…Do you mind if I keep doing it?"

Ulquiorra remained silent for several moments, processing her question.

"I refuse to waste my time if you do not continue properly."

Alarm washed over her. "What?"

"Since your progress has been considerable, Aizen-sama would be willing to allow other Espada to train you in my stead. I have many other matters I must attend to that take precedence."

Orihime was unable to mask her dismay at his response; though training with him was emotionally trying, she could not imagine training without him—she did not want to train without him. She was also very hurt that he discarded spending time with her so easily. But perhaps this would be best; it would certainly keep her away from him and give her time to sort out her feelings.

"Maybe that would be best, then…"

Ulquiorra noted the tone of her voice; what her face said and what her words said were two completely different things. _So. It is me she refuses to train with._

"Then I shall have to alert Aizen-sama of your request. But be forewarned that though you have progressed, training with Espada less perceptive than I should prove to be more challenging, as I am certain you have already noted."

Orihime nodded, chewing on his words all the way back to her room.

.oOo.

Orihime's request had been processed very quickly, for Starrk met with Orihime the next day to train her. Orihime hid her disappointment upon seeing him.

"Hello, Starrk-san! And who is this?"

In the hallway stood another hollow a little younger than Orihime. She had short, light green hair, and a hollow mask covering one of her eyes. The other eye was pink. _Her outfit is really funny, _Orihime thought. She stood staring at the girl for several moments before the green-haired girl spoke.

"You were right, Starrk. She _does _have big boobs!"

Both Orihime and Starrk turned beet red. Orihime subconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, unable to look at the man standing next to her.

Starrk walked over to the girl and subtly pinched her in the arm.

"Ow!" she yelped, and kicked him in the shin. He let out his own pained cry.

The sight helped Orihime forget her embarrassment. She giggled.

Starrk straightened up and cleared his throat.

"I apologize for her crude behavior. She doesn't know anything about how to treat guests. This is Lilynette. I believe I have spoken with you about her?"

"Yes. Nice to meet you."

The girl rubbed the spot Starrk had pinched and then crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get on with this training."

Orihime smiled. She took to Lilynette immediately.

The training with Starrk proved to be less of a disaster than the previous time. For some reason, Starrk was better able to control his reiatsu and was less nervous with the girl around. Starrk was able to reach just the right levels, but unlike Ulquiorra, his reiatsu did not fluctuate up and down to give Orihime time to rest. He maintained the same high levels until he could see Orihime start to get woozy, and then completely cut it off. So instead of smooth transitions, Orihime went from really high levels to no levels at all. It was very difficult for her, so they only trained for half her usual time.

"Please, I am exhausted. Would you mind if we stopped for today?" she panted.

"Of course. But doesn't your training with Ulquiorra typically last longer?"

Orihime blushed. "Yes, but your style is more rigorous than I'm used to."

"I see. Well, we should be getting back."

"You know, I'm sort of impressed," Lilynette said. "I thought you were going to die the minute Starrk released his reiatsu. Seems like Ulquiorra really _has_been training you all this time," she snickered.

Orihime did not understand what the girl was implying until later on that day, when Lilynette stayed to chat with Orihime in her room. Once again, Ulquiorra did not come to her meal. Apparently, he was out doing some tasks for Aizen, but this bothered Orihime. She wondered whether he was really out doing his work or whether he was avoiding her since she had requested not to train with him anymore. _But why would he have any reason to avoid me? _Lilynette noticed Orihime's pensive look.

"I know who _you're _thinking about."

"Wh-what?" Orihime gave Lilynette a horrified look.

"Oh, come _on_. It's _so_ obvious. You've been spending every day with him, and then all of a sudden you're not training with him anymore, and then you're all gloomy when he's not around."

"Oh, I don't mean to be gloomy, I was just thinking—"

"About Ulquiorra, I know!"

_She is so astute! God, I hope no one else suspects…_

"N-no, it isn't like that—"

"It's_ okay_," Lilynette assured her. "I won't tell anyone…like there's anyone interesting to talk to in this place anyway. I don't think anyone would even believe that someone is dumb enough to fall for him. He's so unnecessarily serious about everything, and he's _so_boring—all he ever does is follow orders and mope around with his hands in his pockets!"

"He's not all that bad," Orihime laughed.

Lilynette scoffed.

"No, really. He's actually a really good listener. I know that's probably because he doesn't say much at all anyway, but I talk a lot, so it works out. It helps on the days when I'm especially lonely. He's also really considerate when it comes to my training. I know Starrk-san tries hard, but there's something about Ulquiorra-kun's natural abilities. He can shift his reiatsu in very small levels so that I don't faint or collapse. He's very careful about that, and it's something that I've really come to appreciate. At first I thought he was just doing his duty, but I don't know. I feel like if he really didn't care, he would just let me be overpowered all the time and be rude about it. Because he _can_ be very rude. And when I was bitten by the libélula, he placed a barrier around my room so that I wouldn't be bitten again. I—I don't know. I suppose he's doing those things because he has to, but sometimes I think I see something inside of him that tells me otherwise."

"Wow, you really _are _into him."

Orihime blushed. "I-I wouldn't say that. I just think he's…not so bad."

"Yeah, whatever. It's like I said earlier. That guy is so into his duties he doesn't even notice a girl of your status," she ignored Orihime's embarrassment and continued. "Anyway, I'm getting bored. I saw some cards around here. We should play a game. Starrk never wants to play cards with me. He's always sleeping in his room or sulking around. It gets really annoying."

"Really? He doesn't seem like that type."

"Yeah, well, once in a while he'll get distracted enough to do his work. But then it's back to his usual routine. He's so depressing." Lilynette's face grew sad.

"I'm sorry to hear that. He's a nice person. He was the first person to show me any real kindness since I've been here."

Lilynette looked up at Orihime. "Why _did_ you come here?"

Orihime thought carefully about her words. Lilynette was still a hollow, and Orihime a human. Despite all of her training, she still had her loyalties to her own kind. She decided on the truth, positive that the girl had probably already known the reasons.

"I came because Aizen-sama threatened to kill my friends if I did not join him."

Repeating this made Orihime wonder why she had agreed to become part of his team in the first place. All of her training suddenly seemed so discouraging. Lilynette said nothing. It suddenly became awkward between them.

"Well, what about that card game?" Orihime said cheerily.

.oOo.

Spending time with someone new was a gratifying experience for Orihime, as though she had made a real friend in such a misanthropic place. It made her wonder how she could have thought of her interactions with Ulquiorra as anything sociable. Being starved of any kind of interaction with others will make a person desperate for anything. However, she knew that the things she had said to Lilynette about Ulquiorra were still true.

Lilynette did not come with Starrk the next day, so Orihime's training ended the same way as the first time. This frustrated Orihime; she felt like she was regressing in her training, but was too proud to ask for Ulquiorra to train her again.

She passed out again during her training with Starrk and woke several hours later. She expected to see Starrk in the corner, but instead, she found Ulquiorra standing by her window, quietly observing her.

Orihime was startled. She hadn't spoken to him since her request to discontinue her training with him.

"Starrk will no longer be training you."

"What? Why?" But there was a clear note of relief in her response.

"His reiatsu is too strong for you at your current level, and he is still unable to control it. In the past, hundreds of hollows were known to have died from merely standing in his presence. Apparently, even the power of the Hogyoku was unable to completely tame him, so this was unexpected."

"But what about when he trained me with Lilynette? That seemed to work."

"It was still unsatisfactory for Aizen-sama. He decided to give Starrk one more chance when he trained you today, but it proved to be useless."

Orihime debated whether she should ask the question that was burning in her mind, but Ulquiorra answered before she could ask.

"You will continue your training sessions with me. Aizen-sama is pleased with your progress, and wishes for you to continue as you have."

Orihime could feel her heart beating faster. This meant that she would be spending time with him again. She was both thrilled and terrified of this.

"I see."

Ulquiorra remained silent for a few moments before his command boomed in her ears, "He has ordered that you train normally, using the successful methods we have adapted."

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra with wide eyes. This meant that Aizen knew she was avoiding her regular training. _Does Aizen suspect…? _

"Alright," she said tensely.

Ulquiorra picked up on her hesitation and asked, "Why are you so insistent on refusing to train normally?"

Orihime could not immediately answer him.

"It won't be a problem anymore," she finally responded, "You don't have to worry about it."

"That is not what I asked. You have been purposely been obstructing yourself from advancement."

His tone was very stiff, hinting neither concern nor interest; she was just an object to be manipulated by his master, and he was merely collecting information to increase his efficiency as a subordinate. Orihime could feel the tears brimming behind her eyelids. The Ulquiorra in her mind and the Ulquiorra before her were two very different people. Perhaps she was foolish for believing that he was in any way more than what he seemed.

"It's nothing. I told you, I've just been wanting to see whether I could handle myself without any warnings. I guess not, if I've been doing so badly with Starrk-san."

Ulquiorra was dissatisfied with her answer. Even now, she was avoiding his gaze, and he was irked by this. Why was she avoiding him? What possible reason could she have? Their trainings had been successful, so she should be happy that she was progressing. It was aggravating, constantly guessing at the motivations behind her moods. Quietly seeping in the back of his mind was her face several days ago, but he did not want to think about the indication of what her affection could mean.

"Be prepared to train normally tomorrow, else your regress may cost you your life."

His statement electrified her. Was he implying that he would slaughter her? The tears spilled from her eyes.

"You would—_kill me_?"

Utterly exasperated at her response, he spoke very clearly, "Woman, who do you think holds the thread of your life in his hands? I follow orders, that is all. If Aizen-sama desires your death, I will not begrudge him his wish."

The woman was exceedingly troubled by his words; she had clearly been expecting a different answer. She looked very uncomfortable, as though she did not want to be in the same room with him. _Foolish! Why is she so surprised? _he thought disdainfully.

"Would you _want_ to kill me?" Her feeble, breaking voice was almost inaudible, as though she did not mean for her lips to actualize her thoughts.

Her question struck the Espada. For the first time since he could remember, he was uncertain about the correct answer. To say no would put her at ease, which in her fragile state would be beneficial, but it would also give her the impression that he was not apathetic towards her existence. This would complicate things. To say yes…he knew that it would crush the woman. She was obviously unstable, and if she believed that he had any ill-will towards her, it might restrict her progress.

But, to say yes would be a lie, he suddenly realized. The desire to kill was meaningless; he had taught himself restraint, and it had proven to be a very useful tool in his own evolution. Yet, if saying yes was a lie, did this mean that saying no was the truth? He could not detect any specific interest in the woman, but the fact that he needed to reflect over this alarmed him.

Apparently, he had been silent a while, because Orihime asked her question once more.

"Would you?" Her choked tone was hopeful.

Ulquiorra chose the path of indifference. "Be prepared for training tomorrow."

Orihime stared after him as he took his leave, her beating heart flittering at his words.


	14. Scent

Author's Note:

A warm thank you to AlleluiaElizabeth. If not for her wonderful review, I never would have attempted writing this chapter.

* * *

><p>Subsequent days seemed to pass slowly for Orihime Inoue. Though she still struggled with her emotions, her experience with Kurosaki equipped her well enough to know how to hide her feelings. Forced to resume her original training methods, Orihime tried to make the best out if it. Ulquiorra's silence during their daily sessions made it much easier to be apathetic towards him, but the fact remained that she was slowly growing to know him through her training sessions. He was by nature a quiet man, so it was not entirely unexpected that some kind of connection could be fostered without the spoken word. She found herself gradually getting accustomed to the emptiness that surrounded him. This worried her, but the upside was that it made training easier. Through Ulquiorra's methodology, dutifulness, and astounding efficiency, she started understanding him a little more.<p>

She even started growing fond of the unusual aspects of his character. He was unlike anyone she had ever known. She considered whether it was because he was a hollow that he was so unique, but her interactions with Lilynette and Starrk proved to her that not everyone in Las Noches was subject to such incredible apathy or attention to detail. Her intentions in distancing herself from him fluctuated, dulling one week and rejuvenating the next. The burden of guilt resided on either side of her dilemma—when she allowed herself to progress her training, she felt remorseful about her alliance with Aizen. By resisting Ulquiorra, however, she was subject to his discontentment. The more she thought about disappointing him, the more she realized just how much she valued his opinion of her. It was an ironic division between pleasing invisible friends and a nonexistent one. Nevertheless, even though she knew that she could not call him a friend, she would have offered her friendship in an instant had they been in different circumstances—or, perhaps more accurately, if he had been willing to accept it.

During the times she deferred from distancing herself, she would always give into conversation, albeit a one-sided one. Her voice could be heard by passersby in the hallways, despite her attempts to remain quiet. She usually walked next to him on her talkative days, asking him questions on the more brave ones. She got silence if he considered her questions pointless, as he typically limited his answers to queries pertained to training. Though it was not uncommon for him to look annoyed by her babbling, she noticed now that he no longer told her to stop. She took this subtle silence as permission to continue.

Lilynette was quite another story.

Often bored with Starrk's volatile depression, Lilynette periodically found her way to Orihime's chambers. They played cards and chatted, and Orihime was thrilled to finally participate in mutual friendship. She often felt conflicted about this, but Orihime was always one to extend her kindness to anyone who would receive it.

"Does this place have a kitchen?" Orihime asked Lilynette one day.

"Well, hollows don't really eat human food. I mean…we _can_, but it doesn't really provide us any nourishment. But obviously you need food, and Aizen and the other captains eat the same things you do, so there is an area in the palace where food is prepared. I wouldn't necessarily call it a _kitchen_, though."

"Can we go there?"

"Is today one of your outing days?"

"No, tomorrow."

"OK, then I can take you there tomorrow."

Lilynette left soon afterwards, as she knew that it was time for Orihime to train.

When Ulquiorra came to lead her out, Orihime did not hesitate to inform him of her plans.

"Um, would it be alright if Lilynette takes me out tomorrow instead of you?"

Ulquiorra thought for several seconds. _It seems that her camaraderie with Lilynette has solidified. Though allowing them to assemble would surely please Aizen, there is still the matter of the danger within the hallways. Yet, it is my estimation that Lilynette is cunning enough to tout her connection to Starrk._

"I foresee no problems with your request."

"Thank you!" she cried, "I promise I'll be back in time for my last meal!"

.oOo.

The following day, Orihime and Lilynette set out into the palace corridors. They talked and laughed and gossiped. Orihime loved hearing all the stories about the other Espada, and Lilynette was happy to have someone who was willing to do things with her. Eventually the topic of food arose, and Orihime started explaining to Lilynette some of the dishes she would prepare at home.

"…so then I usually mix in the pepper, soymilk, and Coca-Cola together, you know, to give it a kick, and then I sprinkle it on the rice. It also tastes really good with red bean paste."

"Uhh…yeah…that sounds interesting."

"It's _so_good, but no one ever believes me!" Orihime promised.

"Well, I don't think they have those kinds of ingredients here," Lilynette said.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what's in there! I've always been curious about where my food came from."

"Did you hear that? She's curious about where her _food _comes from," came a female voice from behind them. Orihime and Lilynette turned around to find Loly and Menoly standing before them. Orihime's smile melted away. Lilynette's mouth twitched.

"What's the matter, Princess?" Loly sneered, "The food here not good enough for you?"

"Not at all—" Orihime started to say, but Lilynette cut her off.

"Cut the bull, Loly. You're not intimidating anyone today."

"Shut up, Lilynette. She wasn't talking to you," chimed in Menoly.

"I can handle this," growled Loly as she turned to her partner.

She looked back at Orihime and said, "Listen, Princess, I know your game. You come here acting all innocent, but I can see through it. You're a stuck up little wench, and one of these days you're not going to have your friends around to protect you. And I'm going to be_ right there _waiting for you."

Orihime's stomach sank. She recalled her first day in Hueco Mundo, before she had even put on her garments. Aizen had essentially given her preference over the two girls, and to this day they resented her.

"Listen," Orihime pleaded, "I never meant to do anything to offend you—"

Menoly and Loly cackled ferociously.

"She thinks she's _so_ slick! I already TOLD you," Loly shouted, "I KNOW what your game is!"

Consumed with rage, she clenched her fists and took several steps towards her rival.

"I _dare_ you to take another step," challenged Lilynette. "Don't you forget who I am. I can have Starrk here in seconds, and if you mess with me, you mess with him."

"You're a traitor," spat Menoly.

"_Please_! Aizen doesn't care about any of us. You guys are really kidding yourselves if you think he ever gave either of you a second thought."

"Shut up!" screamed Loly.

"Or what? You can't do anything to me!"

Loly was boiling, but she knew she was defeated. She trembled in her anger before she finally calmed herself enough to give Orihime the dirtiest look she could possibly muster. She left soon afterwards, but not before leaving Orihime with a threat.

"Just watch your back, Princess."

.oOo.

Lilynette and Orihime walked in silence to the lower quarters of Las Noches, where the makeshift kitchen was located. Upon arriving, Orihime soon forgot her encounter with the girls in the hallways.

Orihime drew her hands to her cheeks and gave a pleased squeal. "Oh, my gosh!" Orihime yelped, "This is even better than I imagined!"

Orihime immediately traveled from corner to corner, opening cabinets, poking in drawers, and oohing and ahhing as though she had never stepped foot inside a kitchen.

"I know! I'll surprise Ulquiorra-kun by making my _own_dish today!"

Lilynette looked at Orihime in disbelief.

"You really love this type of stuff, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, yeeeeesssss!" she sang.

Lilynette just laughed, happy to be in the company of someone new.

.oOo.

Orihime made certain to clean her mess. Cooking had taken her longer than expected; there was no way for her to keep track of time in Hueco Mundo, so she was worried about overreaching her time.

She walked with Lilynette, proudly holding her tray with its own dish dome and cup.

"Are you sure you don't want to try any of this?"

"Um…no, thanks. Not really very hungry right now." _Now I can see why no one ever wants to eat any of her food_, thought Lilynette.

Orihime shrugged. "Thanks for telling the servant that I won't need any food today. I hope Ulquiorra-kun doesn't get mad, but it's been so long since I've prepared my own stuff."

Just when they were about to arrive at her chamber, Orihime noticed that the door was open.

"Oh, no! I must be late! I'll see you later, Lilynette-san!

.oOo.

Since Ulquiorra was not required to supervise the woman that day, he decided to use the time to continue perfecting Segunda Etapa. He had not practiced it since the incident with the libélula, so he decided to try his hand at improving his techniques.

He focused intently, shifting his reiatsu and jumping from the first to the second stage and then back again. Switching back and forth was extremely draining on his reiatsu, but he was determined to get the timing right. After several hours of persistence, he finally achieved his goal. _Excellent_, he reflected. _Today has produced valuable fruit._

Despite his progress, he had exhausted his reiatsu levels. Coupled with the training session earlier that day with Orihime, the high levels of reiatsu concentration left him drained. Upon morphing back to his normal form, he realized that it was getting late and that the woman would soon be in to have her last meal. He traveled over to her chambers, but she was nowhere to be found. _She must still be with Lilynette. It is no matter; she should arrive soon._

Exhausted from his training, he walked over to the blue sofa in Orihime's room and sat. He looked around the room, noting the worn cards on the table and the two cups of tea. _From her meetings with Lilynette, no doubt._ He waited patiently for her, wondering why the servant had not yet brought her food. _Perhaps my training did not take as long as I had originally calculated._

He continued waiting, but the boredom was making him sleepy. Utterly fatigued from his earlier accomplishments, his eyes started drooping. He continued to sit, expecting either Orihime or the servant to come in at any time, but they never did. Slowly, his eyes sagged farther down to a close until he finally relented into sleep.

.oOo.

Orihime walked into her room slightly anxious at her lateness, but she did not see Ulquiorra.

"That's weird."

She suddenly remembered her encounter with Loly and Menoly in the hallways and grew apprehensive. Just as she was about to call for Lilynette, she heard deep breathing coming from her couch.

_It sounds like someone's asleep..._

Gathering her courage, she walked towards the sound. Upon discovering who it was, she was astonished to find a slumbering Ulquiorra on her couch.

_Ulquiorra-kun's asleep!_

_On my sofa!_

_I didn't even know he slept!_

She could not help but be fascinated by the sight. She stood above the sleeping Espada, taking full advantage of this opportunity to completely study his features.

_He looks so human when he's asleep,_ she thought. _Maybe he's not so different from me after all._

She found herself drawing closer to him to get a better look. She dared not blink; she would probably never again witness him in such a benign state.

_Oh, he just…_

_looks…_

_… so…_

Her stomach churned. She had drawn close enough to him so that she could now smell his scent. Should she be ashamed that she found it pleasant? As she gazed at his sleeping eyes, she grew mesmerized by how peaceful he looked, how utterly _normal _and non-threatening he appeared. Upon admiring him for several moments, she subconsciously drew her eyes across his nose, cheeks, and eventually to his mouth.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Having been so distracted by him, she failed to notice the single lock of orange hair softly falling from her shoulder to his chest. Had Ulquiorra not been the acute sort of man he was, Orihime might have lingered for far longer than a few minutes.

His eyes opened suddenly.

Orihime jumped back and screamed.

"You scared me!" she squealed.

Groggy-eyed and annoyed, Ulquiorra sat up from the couch. _How long have I been sleeping? _He had gotten very good at training himself to go days without sleep. He recalled having dreamt about something just then, but did not wish to dwell on it.

"I was going to wake you up," Orihime lied with a smile, "but you're already awake. I was so surprised to see you like that. But I'm so relieved, too. To think, Ulquiorra-kun actually _sleeps_!" she remarked happily as she went to put her tray on the table.

"It's Ulquiorra," he suddenly stated.

Confused, she turned her head to look at him. He sat with his back to her.

"What?"

"Do not refer to me as you would a human, I said."

His tone was very sharp.

"When you address me, call me 'Ulquiorra'. Call me only that."

He refused to look at her when he said this. Instead, he rubbed his eyes with his palm and rose from the couch. Orihime's face melted from happy to hurt. _He really doesn't want to have anything to do with me at all, does he? _she thought dismally.

"I was only…" but she could not find an accurate response to such an awkward request. His eyes continued to avoid hers.

_I guess I can respect that._

.oOo.

His clothes were doused in the woman's scent. _This is unacceptable. How could I have allowed myself to fall asleep in her chambers? _He left her room soon after she had explained to him that she had prepared her own food. She tried to explain to him the dishes she had made, but he was not interested. He was too preoccupied with Orihime's essence lingering in his nose and he wanted to remove the distraction right away. As he walked towards his chambers, an agitating voice interrupted him.

"I heard that."

Ulquiorra froze.

He turned to face Grimmjow in the hallway.

"You reek, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow jeered. "I can smell her on you from all the way here."

Grimmjow knew just how to ruffle the right feathers.

"What business do you have here?"

"What's the matter, Ulquiorra-kun," Grimmjow quipped, "protecting your investment? You don't give Starrk any trouble, though, do you?" Grimmjow pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against, "I hear he's been coming in to her room without Lilynette these days."

_This fool really believes he has accurately measured my intentions with the woman? _

"What Starrk does on his free time is of no concern to me."

Ulquiorra moved to leave, but Grimmjow was not about to pass this opportunity up. He still had not forgotten their previous spat in the hallway, and he was not above making petty accusations.

"So then you wouldn't mind if I roughed her up a little? She needs to learn how to fight—I don't think Aizen would mind, so long as she can still function, don't you think?" Grimmjow smiled devilishly.

It was completely obvious what Grimmjow was trying to do, but Ulquiorra was not one to fall prey to such pathetic attempts at provocation.

Calmly, Ulquiorra responded, "How you choose to relate to the girl is your business, not mine." Ulquiorra, however, was not through. As masterful at psychological intrigue as he was, he faced Grimmjow, his eyes deadest on making his next point. "Though, if I were you, I would do a little more research on her before you approach Aizen about your plans."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed darkly, but out of pride he refused to ask.

_The idiot fell for it. _Ulquiorra continued, satisfied at how quickly Grimmjow could be hooked.

"The woman's strength is directly tied to her personality. The more violent she allows herself to be, the more powerful she becomes. This characteristic will remain with her after the transformation, and Aizen has designed it so that the Hogyoku will induce violence within her to increase her power. She is highly unlikely to remain the feeble person she is now."

"So?"

"Her memories will likely be fragmented, where she will only harbor negative emotions towards the people associated with them. She may or may not remember her past life, but she will remember her emotions related to your attacks on her former comrades, and she will remember you." He paused. "She has a very strong emotional attachment to the substitute shinigami you tried to destroy. It's quite possible she may retaliate against you."

Grimmjow's eyebrows twitched—was Ulquiorra underestimating him?

"I'll kill her, then."

"And destroy the only one of Aizen-sama's allies with the capability to heal an army in seconds? I highly doubt he would allow you to live after such blatant disobedience. "

A silenced Grimmjow clenched his fists. Orihime couldn't pose such a threat. In her current state, she was absolutely one of the weakest creatures he had ever encountered. There was no way she could ever put a scratch on him.

But he had indeed seen some miraculous transformations resulting from the Hogyoku. If she came after him, he would have no choice but to kill her. He didn't care about Aizen. He wasn't about to let some weak excuse for an Espada win a fight against him.

Ulquiorra left him with a final statement, nonchalantly planting a crucial idea in Grimmjow's mind as he headed towards his chambers.

"The woman can be easily appeased. She often confuses acts of duty for kindness. As easily manipulated as she can be, I wouldn't doubt that an act of repayment would be enough to quell her potential rage."

Grimmjow looked down at his left arm grudgingly. He did _not_ like owing anything to anybody.

_Hollows are not so difficult to manipulate, either, _Ulquiorra mused.

.oOo.

* * *

><p>Important Author's Note:<p>

There's been something on my mind; I hesitate to mention it here because they say it's rude to discuss politics, but some new bills the U.S. is trying to pass might affect this website (translation: it could get blocked), so I thought I'd warn you all, especially my fellow U.S. citizens who have the power to change things.

A couple of new bills (SOPA and PIPA) attempting to halt internet piracy are currently trying to be passed into law. These two bills, if passed as law, will basically allow U.S. corporations and government the right to seek legal action against websites they deem as violating copyright infringement. What this basically means is that if a website is suspected of violating copyright infringement in any way, the website can be blocked (or even shut down?).

Now, I know that every story on this website is followed by a disclaimer, (e.g., I don't own Bleach or the characters, etc.), and I'm sure this website would have been shut down long ago had it really been violation of any copyright, but SOPA and PIPA carry a lot more teeth than current laws do. I certainly hope that the law, if passed, will not apply to this website, but I feel I have the responsibility to tell everyone I know about it. Websites like YouTube, deviantArt, LiveJournal...the list could go on...would probably be affected.

I apologize if I have offended anyone, because I know that some people support this law, but I just felt I had to say _something_. I never thought I'd see the day where such a treasonous infringement on free speech would happen in the United States. Anyway, there is still time to act. You can e-mail or call your senator or House representative if you are a U.S. citizen. If you are not a U.S. citizen, there are also international petitions against the bills. The link I have posted below lists ways you can act.

An excellent assessment of the law and how it affects **you** can be found here: http : / / www . 1stwebdesigner . com / design / how - sopa - pipa - can - affect - you /

...but without the spaces.


	15. Unthinkable

If there were any mistakes that Orihime had made regarding Ulquiorra, her next training session would surely qualify as the highlight of them all.

Orihime followed Ulquiorra to the outside terrace, as usual. But instead of traveling upward, they traveled outward.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"We must find a place far enough from Las Noches to begin the next level of your training."

"The next level?"

"Yes. I will release my zanpakuto in front of you."

Orihime's head snapped to look at him. "Your zanpakuto?"

"Espadas of rank 4 and upwards are not allowed to release within the confines of Las Noches. We must travel farther away than usual."

"I don't know if I'm ready," she squeaked.

"Your training with Starrk, though not as efficient as ours, has increased your capacity for withstanding significant reiatsu levels. You should not be concerned. However, the shift in spirit pressure will be considerably different than what you have previously been exposed to."

He looked over at her, noting the lingering apprehension on her face.

"I would not introduce you to this stage if I were not thoroughly convinced that you would not be overwhelmed."

There was a brief pause as he returned his attention back to the sphere that carried them.

"I would not allow you to be harmed," he said distractedly.

Her eyes grew wide. Her heart pumped faster, but she forced herself not to misinterpret his words.

They arrived at some distant spot away from Las Noches. Ulquiorra walked a distance farther away than usual and turned to face her.

"Do not move."

He unsheathed his sword and pointed it downwards to the ground. A finicky Orihime only looked at him in trepidation, bracing herself for what was to come.

"Enclose, Murciélago."

In a flash, there rained elements of what seemed to be black and green rain. As they fell on and around Orihime, she realized it was his reiatsu. She witnessed Ulquiorra's transformation in awe. He grew wings like a bat, and two white horns emerged from a bigger covering atop his head, as opposed to the single one with the cracked mask. His look was fearsome. His eyes were deadest on her, as though he was testing her reaction to his release, but the subtlety that she had grown accustomed to throughout all of her time with him remained. She breathed a sigh of relief. _I'm able to stand!_

"Do not move," he repeated.

And he disappeared. Confused, Orihime was tempted to turn around, but in an instant she felt him standing behind her. He had withheld his reiatsu for the moment, allowing her to adjust to his position, and then he slowly eased it upwards. Startled by his calm breath, she grew anxious at his presence millimeters away from her back.

_He's so close…_

He raised his reiatsu until he saw her weave slightly, then lowered it. She felt him disappear once more, but he soon stood face-to-face with her, ensuring that she stand her ground.

Orihime knew she was supposed to be focusing on her resistance, but she could not stop thinking about what he had just told her. Yet, looking at him in his form—really evaluating what he was—proved to be alarming. For the first time in a while, she acknowledged his role as a powerful ally against Soul Society, and this ushered her into a very nervous state of confusion. Seeing him in this new form finally made her realize that he was an _enemy_. She tried seeing him this way, needed to see him this way…but his eyes had not changed, despite his release. She kept telling herself that what she saw was not encouragement, but she could not deny that his methods coaxed her into improvement.

She grew exhausted much more quickly when training with his released form. Upon realizing this, Ulquiorra ended the training earlier than usual. He morphed back into his usual self and sheathed his sword.

"You were able to withstand my released form somewhat longer than I had anticipated. It seems your training with Starrk was not a complete loss."

"But all of my fainting—"

"That is irrelevant. I can see now that exposure to reiatsu of his level has taken you beyond your previous capabilities. Since he is not sensitive to your limits, you fainted. I, however, am able to mimic what he has done, and can do it more effectively. I have come to know your abilities very well, so your fears of my being a danger to you are obviously irrational."

Though his tone included a hint of condescension, it bewildered Orihime. She knew that she should not understand his comment as a promise of protection, but the implication of his words was unbearably frustrating. Kindness, albeit implicit and unintended, was something she had craved from him for months. How could he not know what he was saying to her?

"I, uh…thank you…"

Ulquiorra suddenly realized the indication of his statement, but it was too late. His words had already taken effect, and they were clearly upsetting her. His previous refusal to answer the question about his opinion of her death also put him in an awkward position, but to take it back would impede her training.

Orihime was desperately pinching back the tears in her eyes, and Ulquiorra knew it—she felt his ever-consuming eyes fixated on her without even looking at him. Why was she getting so emotional over this? It was clear now that she could no longer ignore her feelings.

_How could I have allowed myself to get into this mess…again?_

He looked at her in mild curiosity, waiting for the tears to fall while simultaneously betting against himself that she would not succumb. What would she do? Her expression was ambiguous but unyielding.

Orihime continued concentrating her strength on appearing normal, but ignoring him was impossible. She finally answered his unspoken question.

"It's nothing."

Orihime regretted glancing at him. Exquisitely keen. Why did it always feel like he knew what she was thinking? Her eyes immediately darted off to the side, the vast white desert before her making her feel all the more insignificant. The emptiness emanating from him did not add any comfort. It was hardly a minute that she stood before him, fiercely setting her jaw and fixating her eyes on the sand, but it felt far longer. She felt as though she was being bitterly critiqued for a horrible piece of art that had taken her months to create. The barrier she had so carefully attempted to place around her heart was crumbling miserably at the slightest hint of his non-indifference, and all she could feel now was an overwhelming surge of exposed emotions—guilt, desire, loneliness, frustration, embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Please, let's just go. I'm really tired."

Ulquiorra said nothing, but her discomfort lingered. His eyes analyzed her every move.

Utterly depressed by her drab room when they arrived at her quarters, she decided that she was not in the mood to be trapped in melancholy for the next hour. Even if it meant being stuck with him, she needed to go to her haven.

"Please, can I go to the sky-place?"

"Today is not the allotted day for your outing."

Hurt at the fact that he would not recognize her need, she willed him to change his mind. She looked up at him with fresh moisture in her pleading eyes.

"Please?"

He could not place it exactly; the timid desperation, the sheer sincerity of her request, or the fact that she pleaded in trust. Her eyes were hopeful, and he had never seen that in them. It was unquestionable that she was begging for an escape from something. Not her prison, it was far too late for that, but something entirely different. In truth, the rule about her time allotment was not set in stone; Aizen had trusted that Ulquiorra would regard whatever duties he had with the proper discretion, so he would not be disobeying by taking her out of her quarters. Aizen had, after all, given him permission to gratify her minor requests.

There really was no obvious reason to refuse, so Ulquiorra relented.

"Very well. But you are _not _to make this a habit."

Vehement expression had always been a part of Orihime's character. Whether it was in the form of an elaborate thank-you meal, her diabetic sweetness, or some form of intensely talkative gratitude, she had always been one to give herself to expressive reaction. Because it had been so long since she had allowed herself to be governed by this aspect of her character, she really had very little opportunity to control herself. It bubbled up from a place she had not succumbed to in quite a while, and the rarity of Ulquiorra's acquiescence multiplied her happiness.

Unable to contain her contentment at the fact that he had acknowledged her pain, her reflexes overpowered her. She instinctively clapped her hands in glee, squealed, bounced on her happy little toes, and drew her arms around him in avid appreciation. As soon as her arms reached around his neck, she immediately realized what she had done.

She stiffened.

They stood there for several moments, awkwardly, silently. Orihime was too terrified to move.

Before Ulquiorra knew what was happening, he felt her warm body against his. His eyes blinked in disbelief. His hands, ever glued to the insides of his pockets, flexed in surprise. He, too, stiffened. What he thought had been forced out of him so long ago unexpectedly emerged, resurfacing from somewhere buried very deeply inside of him. Because it had never been adequately dealt with, it was briefly welcomed.

There was no odd sensation this time at her touch, but the equilibrium had already been shaken, the waters disturbed. Bitter at his initial reaction, he immediately squashed it away, angry with himself for such an intolerable response. He chided himself harshly for allowing himself to indulge her, for however short the moment had been.

In one forceful move, Ulquiorra ripped his hand out of his pocket and pushed her away from him. He took a deliberate step backward in protest.

"What are you doing?" he demanded crossly.

Utterly at a loss for words, Orihime's eyes grew two sizes. Why had she even thought for a second that there would be any other reaction from him? Her heart raced wildly from thrill and anxious regret. Her arms trembled, ashamed of what they had done.

He impatiently waited for her to answer, but when he saw that her only response was tears, he did his standard turn-and-leave.

"Ulqui-…"

But at this point he did not care for her answer, and she did not wait for the door to close before she spun around and clutched at her chest in humiliation.

As he walked away from her chambers, he could hear her muffled sobs fading in the hallways.

.oOo.

Orihime wept out of confusion. She cried out of depression. But most of all, the tears were driven by rejection. She had not meant for her reaction to imply anything other than appreciation, but his refusal to accept it revealed all she needed to know about his opinion of her.

There was a knock on her door just then. Frightened at who might be on the other side, Orihime timidly answered, "Come in."

Lilynette appeared with an irritated expression. "Ulquiorra made me come over here. Something about how— hey, you really _are_ hysterical," she said, noting Orihime's appearance.

Orihime snorted mucus back into her nose and scrunched her face. She looked pitiful.

"What happened?"

She sniffed. "I—I hugged him because I was so happy he was going to let me go out today. I didn't mean to, it's just habit."

Unable to fathom the sight of Ulquiorra locked in an embrace with anyone, Lilynette burst out in boisterous laughter.

"You're kidding!"

Orihime's serious face was enough of an answer.

Lilynette laughed harder, slapping her hands on her knees. "Wait until Starrk hears about _this!_"

"No, please! Don't tell anyone!"

"Aw, relax. Starrk isn't going to–HAHAHAHAHA!" she shouted in choked laughter, another image floating in her mind.

"Please, don't say anything!"

Lilynette continued chuckling uncontrollably but finally calmed down. She let out several more hoots before she finally spoke in broken phrases.

"Ooohh…oh, man oh, man. Oh, that's good stuff. Anyway…whoooo…."

"Please!" she begged.

"_Fine_, I won't tell him! But _what happened_?" she gave Orihime a sly look.

"I was just really excited that he was letting me go out. I had…sort of a rough time in training today."

"You are so weird! So what happened after you," she guffawed, "_hugged_ Ulquiorra?"

"We just sort of stood there for a moment. I think he was shocked. I don't know. Then he pushed me away, and I was just so embarrassed I started crying."

"You cry a lot."

"Only lately. I've just been…"

Lilynette finished her words for her, "Emotional over Ulquiorra! I told you! And now you're hugging him! I'm telling you, you're in denial."

Perhaps Orihime _had_ subconsciously submitted to her internal whims. She did not respond to Lilynette's accusation.

The two of them walked out after Orihime composed herself. They eventually arrived at Orihime's favorite spot. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know, I've observed hollows for a really long time," Lilynette spoke, "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Ulquiorra has…I don't know…a _thing_ for you. I don't know what the heck that would be though, knowing him. It's kind of creepy, now that I think about it!"

Orihime looked at Lilynette curiously. "That's impossible."

"I don't know. Why would he ask me to take you here?"

"I think he just wanted to follow through on what he said because he wanted to be consistent…but he didn't want to be around me at the same time because it was just too awkward."

"But…he could have just left you in your room instead of asking me to take you here. And you said that he stood there while you hugged him?" Lilynette raised her eyebrow doubtfully.

Orihime shook her head mildly and furrowed her own eyebrows. "I've spent a lot of time with him. He's just as indifferent about me as the day we met." Though there was a clear note of sadness in her response, Orihime did not sound very convincing to herself. She thought back to Ulquiorra's refusal to remark about his desire to see her death, as well as his comments earlier that day. For her own sake, it was time to stop looking too deeply into these things. She needed to train herself to ignore all of it. She must do whatever was necessary to cut off her feelings for him.

"Whatever you say," replied Lilynette.

.oOo.

Ulquiorra did not show up the next day to train her; neither did he attend any of her meals. No one showed up to take her out. This bothered her throughout the day. He was avoiding her, this was clear. Though she had told herself that she needed to curtail her emotions, his behavior devastated her. She understood that what had happened was uncomfortable for the both of them, but the sharp shift of his behavior was very uncharacteristic of him. What if she had to resort to training with Starrk again? She had too strong of a desire to see Ulquiorra, despite her new resolve to crush her emotions.

In all of her reflection that day, she started realizing that her feelings for him were much stronger than she had originally thought. His subtle hints that he was not entirely apathetic about her existence brought her no respite, and the conversation with Lilynette brought an optimism she was unwilling (and quite afraid) to embrace.

The servant arrived the third time, showing no sign that Ulquiorra would arrive to administer his usual scrutiny. Orihime ate in disappointed silence. She sat on her blue sofa and brooded about her situation until she finally allowed herself to fall sleep.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

I'm not fully satisfied with this chapter...something about it still bugs me, but it's been beta-read and I've gone over it a dozen times.

Anyway, it's about _time_ something juicy went on between these two! Well...relatively juicy, anyway. - _ - ; Ulquiorra can be so smart but _so_...NOT!

I hope everyone had a happy New Year and very merry holidays.


	16. Accept

Orihime awoke to find herself in the vacant wilderness of Hueco Mundo. She scanned her eyes across the sands, spotting Las Noches in the distance. The desert stretched its long, arid fingers much farther out than usual, it seemed.

_Weird… someone must have carried me out_, she thought. She turned her head from left to right, subconsciously searching for something. She found it upon turning to face the Espada standing several meters behind her.

Orihime drew her eyes to the ground, still embarrassed from the events of two days past.

"Why do you continuously avoid me, Orihime?"

The woman looked up, taken aback by the oddity of having heard her name escape his lips so informally. The Espada's voice carried none of its usual coolness, and his eyes implied the same; she distinctly heard earnestness in his question, as though he was genuinely bothered by her behavior.

"I-I don't know."

"You don't know?" he answered skeptically, pressuring her for a different answer.

"I think I've made it obvious why I don't look at you…" her voice trailed off.

"So you do have feelings for me."

Orihime's only reply was to divert her eyes from him.

"What if I told you that my own opinions of you are reciprocated?"

Her head snapped up.

"That's…? U-Ulquiorra…"

His footsteps purposefully padded across the sand towards her.

"Please, I know you can't _possibly_feel the same way," she argued stubbornly.

He was getting closer.

"This isn't funny," she pleaded, taking a few steps backward. Her hair bounced lightly as she shook her head.

_Plop, plop, plop_, went his feet.

_Pump, pump, pump_, went her heart.

"Don't make this harder than it already is, please," she whispered desperately, her disbelief warring against the desire to accept his words.

He ignored her. His face was calm and determined, his eyes conveying something she never thought she would ever see.

_Oh, God…this can't be real…_

She clenched her fists in protest.

_Please let this be real…_

She was not accustomed to anyone looking at her in such a manner. His face was tilted slightly downwards, and his eyes were thirsty. He was not looking at her as Orihime the subordinate.

She was Orihime, the woman.

He finally closed the distance between them, drawing his hand to the bottom of her chin.

Her heart screamed, pounded. She frantically jetted her eyes to the side, but the temptation to switch them back was too remarkable to resist.

Oh, he wasn't playing around. He made his goal abundantly clear as he inched towards her in steady conquest.

Orihime closed her eyes in hungry defeat. What else could she do but give in?

_Forgive me…_

-o-

Noisy clanging roused her from her dream.

Orihime slowly stirred on the blue sofa, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

She had slept through the usual routine of knock-and-enter, coming to the realization that Ulquiorra had probably come in with the servant a while ago. She glared at the table. _Of course it was just a dream, _she thought miserably.

Orihime saw her dream-man standing before her, with an odd look on his face. Still humiliated from their embrace, Orihime thought it best to simply ignore him. Thankful that he could not read her mind, she ate in silence, mulling over her dream and feeling stupid for having had it.

.oOo.

Ulquiorra heard his name escape her lips, there was no doubt about that—she was dreaming about him. As she slept, her expression was very calm.

It was happy.

She did not respond to the knocks on her door, so he let himself in to wake her. It was the servant who had eventually brought her out of slumber, rolling in with the trays a few moments after she had uttered Ulquiorra's name. Ulquiorra observed her intently after she woke, looking for any signs that might confirm his burning questions, but she was purposely avoiding his eyes. He thought maybe she had been dreaming about training, but the manner in which she had spoken of him and the way her face looked told him otherwise. Her tone was unabashedly tender. He was almost tempted to ask her about it but knew that this would be unwise. The woman was already unstable, and training today would prove to be cumbersome given past events.

The day before, Ulquiorra had requested for a break in her training in order to give her time to recover from her experience with his first resurrection form. He knew that she probably had taken this to mean that he was avoiding her. This was not entirely untrue. Her actions during their last encounter were unexpected, to say the least. He knew that the woman had reacted brashly, so he had eventually dismissed it, but upon hearing his name in her sleep, a new flurry of questions erupted in his mind.

"Follow me. We will begin your training as usual," he commanded after she had taken her final bite.

Orihime silently followed him out. They soon reached a spot far away from Las Noches, and he released his sword. Orihime bit her lip and forced herself to train. Looking at him was uncomfortable, but she knew she could bear it for a little while.

Her training soon ended; she quietly trudged beside him as they headed back, periodically stealing glances at him. The difference between the man in her dream and the man standing before her was extraordinary. This man was callous and uncaring, and it depressed her that he would never return her feelings. He was not like Ichigo, whom she had not entirely forgotten but by now was a fainter romantic memory. At least with Ichigo, she could trust in his kindness and his protection, and even though he would never feel the same way, he was still a good friend.

Ulquiorra would never be her friend, would never be anything to her other than a superior.

As he continued ignoring her throughout their journey back to her quarters, reality finally started to sink in. It was decided; she would simply have to force herself to stop feeling for this man. It could be done. She just had to think back to her love in the human world. She had purposely avoided thinking of Ichigo lately because of the guilt of her betrayal, but falling for a cold-hearted creature repulsed at the slightest hint of affection was far more demeaning.

.oOo.

From the beginning, Ulquiorra was not ignorant of the change in Orihime's behavior. In earlier circumstances, he might have classified what he observed in her as some form of dementia, but since her training had not regressed, it was not enough of a problem to draw relevant concern.

Though the woman's progress was steady, her attitude and approach to him had changed much more drastically than ever before. The effervescence he had come to know disappeared overnight, as though it had never existed. When he would go to ensure she was still eating, the life drained from her face the moment he stepped through her doorway. Her body recoiled defensively if ever he spoke, her countenance visibly dampened, and her voice turned noticeably more solemn.

Most of all, she grew fluent in silence—a queer reminiscence of her first days in Hueco Mundo, when her only words were the polite exchanges upon delivery of her meals. It did not take long before he realized that she did not act this way around Starrk and Lilynette. To more accurately assess the differences in her behavior, Ulquiorra approached Orihime's chambers very early one day and stood listening behind the door. He heard giggling and laughing, and the three of them appeared to be playing some kind of game with those ridiculous cards. After that, it was not uncommon to hear laughter in the hallways on the way to his own quarters.

She had not laughed around him in weeks; the only smiles she gave him now were those of civil gratitude. He had also noticed that even if she faced him, even if she was expressing her thanks, she refused to meet his gaze. She also ceased from looking at him while she ate.

The only thing that remained consistent was her training. There were several times where he sensed that she was hesitant to train, but the waver in her determination disappeared upon his release of reiatsu. At the culmination of her session, however, any emotion she had expressed dissipated back to her rather uncharacteristic indifference. She even stopped questioning him about the status of her progress.

He knew it had something to do with the girl's dream.

Ever since that day she had been different. Her behavior grew cold and much more aloof, as though she had resolved to distance herself. But why? What could possibly be the cause of the inconsistency? This question often rose up in his thoughts, but he was growing weary of the attention he was increasingly giving to it. She was like a logic game he was reluctant to evaluate; his nature was driving him to solve the problem, but his pride prevented him from taking the easiest route to enlightenment—direct inquiry.

That any of this affected him in the slightest was the most significant vexation of them all, and it was not something he immediately admitted to himself. He had to keep reminding himself that the woman's attitude towards him should be completely irrelevant to her proficiency. Even so, his attempts at brushing it off were repetitious at best and obsessive at worst, for her daily apathy towards him made it exceedingly impossible to avoid. Day after day, she continued defying him with her erratic behavior. Just when he thought he had mapped out the entirety of the causes and effects that motivated her actions, she veered from the formula. And he dared not bring up the issue with Aizen; all that mattered was her success, and in this area, she remained exceptionally undeviating.

But frankly, it was getting disrespectful. Every diverted glance, every refusal to take advantage of her outing opportunities—yes, she even occasionally avoided these— every clumsy attempt at noiseless cooperation fueled his exasperation with her. As her superior, he should not be ignored. Cutting off a professional relationship with him only served to sever ties, not strengthen them.

Ultimately, weeks and weeks of insufferable, irreverent silence drove him to satiate his curiosity. He finally decided on confronting her one evening, during her last meal.

Orihime finished her plate and rose from the table; she trod across the white floors and peered at the crescent moon suspended in perpetual black—a clear attempt to ignore him.

"Your behavior towards me has altered drastically, and I want to know the reason," came the patronizing voice from behind her. It had been many, many weeks since they had truly had spoken.

When she did not immediately respond, he asked again in a more authoritative tone, "What is the reason?"

It was fear that prevented Orihime from giving him a truthful answer. Avoiding him had been impossible. Forcing her thoughts to dwell on Ichigo had initially helped a little, but each time she stepped out into the vast white desert with the arrancar, her attempts at curbing her emotions miserably failed. Maintaining her composure upon gazing at him had proved to be exceedingly difficult, and she was literally forced to change her personality so as not to encourage her spiraling emotional attachment to him.

_Be civil, not friendly._

This was the mantra she repeated to herself each time she was tempted to retreat to the silly behaviors of her past. She disallowed herself from celebrating her minor victories in reiatsu tolerance; she would save that for Lilynette and Starrk, the only solace she had left from her emotional prison. Orihime knew that any kind of sociable behavior—smiles, conversation, even her habitual glimpses at him—only served to bolster her feelings. Yet, these were the core of her personality! Was it really that essential to behave this way, completely censoring herself? She had not had to resort to this level of caution even with Kurosaki, so it startled her that she felt such a strong need to commit to altering herself so drastically. Even so, the lessons she had learned through Ichigo made her realize that restraint was necessary, and failure meant more pain and deepened emotional attachment.

Nevertheless, even with all of her efforts, Ulquiorra continued to consume her thoughts. The more she distanced herself in his presence, the more she dwelled on him in his absence, and it was absolutely exhausting her. She was running dry, and Ulquiorra had unknowingly picked one of Orihime's more difficult days to pose his question.

Why was he curious? _Why_, when he had been very clear about his apathy since before she had even stepped foot in Las Noches? If Lilynette was right, and if he really was hiding something, why was he allowed to conceal it, but not her? It was unfair and hypocritical.

And frankly, it was just plain disrespectful. He should just mind his own business. Wasn't it unwise for colleagues to get too chummy?

"Why does it matter to you?" she finally asked him, very weary of her situation. "My training hasn't regressed. And you obviously don't care to be around me. You would have had me killed me on the day we met, you said so yourself."

There was something very specific about the woman's words that incensed him.

"You're pathetic."

She turned towards him, sensing heat in his words.

"What?"

"You believe that training with me has merited some kind of partnership with you, and you are sulking because you foolishly believe that you have already earned that affiliation."

Orihime could not believe the venom he was spewing at her. It was his tone that surprised her the most. He had always been cold, but never mean. She felt the hot tears welling up behind her eyelids.

Ulquiorra noted the liquid salt in her eyes.

"How predictable."

"Why haven't I earned it?" she cried softly, unable to stand it any longer. "I've trained mercilessly with you every day, all because I want to survive. Isn't that what hollows do? Why shouldn't I have earned the right to be called your comrade? I've worked so hard to impress you, and having to face you every day…" but she stopped as soon as the words escaped her lips. She bit her lip and turned once more to the window.

He stood watching her back; she drew her sleeve to her face and wiped both of her cheeks. Though he had seen her cry before, this was the first time his words had directly been the cause of her tears.

"I know that you had a dream about me," he said, ignoring her last comment.

Orihime's heart skipped.

"Your behavior towards me has changed since that day."

She said nothing, hoping he would just leave. She had had many, many dreams about him lately. But the one he was talking about was surely the first one—the sweetest one, the one where he was kind, the one where he caressed her face with his eyes, the one where she awoke to find him in the room. How could he have known about that?

"Do not deny it. I heard you speaking my name as you slept. How could that possibly motivate you to change so radically?"

It was amazing how he could be so perceptive in some aspects, but so incredibly ignorant in others. For some time now Orihime had suspected that Ulquiorra knew at least something about her feelings. He was a very complex, very analytical man; his knowledge was both bountiful and shrewd, despite his lack of understanding about human will. She would be a fool to think that he suspected nothing. His question was thus riddled with hidden meaning, whether he recognized it or not. As for now, she was tired—so, so tired, of playing this game with him. Orihime had her own questions that needed to be answered. She turned back to face him.

"Why do you care, Ulquiorra?"

He looked at the confused woman standing before him for several moments. It was the exact question he had yet to answer.

He retorted by shifting the blame on her, "If you cannot answer me, then—"

"It's not that I can't," she cut him off. "I know the answer." She held her breath, bracing herself.

"I'm just surprised you haven't figured it out by now…seeing as to how you've come to know me so well." She gave him a sad smile.

A flood of staggering comprehension overtook him, striking all of his questions into silence. His eyes widened, incredulous with disbelief.

.oOo.

The woman's words rang like a monstrous gong in his ears. Ulquiorra left the room shortly after she had given him her answer. Her tears had stopped, but she stood in heavy dejection at the lack of his response. But what answer could he possibly give to such blatant foolishness? He thought that discovering what had been bothering her would put him at ease, but he was gravely mistaken. How could he possibly train her now, with her emotions so unstable—and _so _irrational? How could she possibly have developed any feelings for him whatsoever?

Perhaps he had misunderstood her?

No, he had heard her correctly. Until a few minutes ago, it had been far more convenient to simply dismiss his theories about her emotions, but now he was left without an excuse. It was not in his nature to exclude the most obvious of explanations, so perhaps it was time to get over this uncharacteristic denial of his and accept that this was an obstacle he would need to overcome.

He headed towards one of the open terraces near his room and drew his attention to the outreach of desert void. The winds were picking up. Clouds of white dust blanketed the hills, nullifying any irregularities on the ivory sands.

He let out a huff. _This cannot be ignored; I never should have asked her_. It certainly had not happened overnight; he vividly remembered the look she gave him months ago under the false blue skies of Las Noches. Why had he been so quick to ignore it then? He typically followed his intuitions about things, but in this area he had been unusually stubborn. And now he was forced to pay for it because of his ill-considered inquisitiveness. Information could be so inconvenient.

Was this something important enough to report to Aizen-sama?

_No, not yet. The Hogyoku is likely to radically affect her, and especially her memory. There is a good possibility that her experience will be similar to mine._

The significance of this was not lost on him.

Ulquiorra continued staring out into the vast blankness before him for some time.

_If this happens, she will forget everything._

He would be erased from her memory, just like their footprints in the desert sand.

.oOo.

Orihime half expected to see Starrk the next day for her training, but instead Ulquiorra arrived at her door.

_I might as well get over it_, she thought. She followed him out in typical quiet, sighing when they arrived at a chosen spot.

Dreading the moment when she had to look at him, she prepared herself for yet another day of humiliation. Knowing what he knew did make things exponentially more awkward, but Orihime could not help but feel relief. She was finally free from her burden of secrecy. She could deal with his apathy; she had lived through something similar before, after all. She was even proud of herself for confessing. In her other life, she would have had an army of distractions to protect her from making such a mistake: numerous friends, martial arts, cooking, school and studies, even fighting hollows—she laughed at the bitter irony of this. In Hueco Mundo, she had only Lilynette and Starrk, and this was occasional. The rest of her time was eaten up by contemplation and shame, pain and confusion, regret and depression, so that feelings of any kind were bound to grow much more quickly and settle much more deeply, and distract one so much more intently as to cause one to surrender. Perhaps it was a sign of weakness that somewhere in the back of her mind, she had done it to add a little spice in her life; such was the tragedy of the spirit-world of Hueco Mundo. A distinct air of nihilism suffocated every creature who trod its surface, and Orihime was buckling. It had taken months, but the white walls of Las Noches were finally starting to break her; the confession was solid evidence of this.

She turned her eyes to his, waiting for the signal. It did not come. Instead, he stepped towards her without releasing Murciélago. Orihime looked around to see if perhaps there was anyone watching them. There was not. Ulquiorra continued to walk towards her. She could feel the thumping in her chest beat more quickly. _What is he doing?_

He finally stopped several feet away from her. Unable to read his expression, she finally asked, "What's the matter? Why aren't we training?"

"Aizen-sama has decided that you are ready for the Hyogoku."

"What?"

"Yes. Tomorrow you will go see him. Your progress has been substantial."

Orihime panicked. She did not think this day would ever come.

"Oh, my… I-I-Are you serious? Oh, gosh…Um…oh!"

She stopped, realizing something. "Wait. Why take me all the way out here to tell me this?"

"Prying ears."

"What?"

"It is unimportant. I wish to speak with you about your comments yesterday."

"Oh." Orihime avoided his face. She rubbed her arm distractedly.

"Is it true?"

There was no point in denying it now, but Orihime did not respond.

"How is it possible?"

Silence.

"I have never suggested any inkling of kindness, nor friendship, and especially not affection. You cannot deny that your emotions are completely unfounded."

Though his words were not entirely true, they still made Orihime feel uncomfortable. This was worse than Kurosaki's obliviousness.

Ulquiorra grew quiet, observing her. That this woman could harbor feelings of fondness for him was incomprehensible, but it thoroughly intrigued him. As he stood before her, he felt the oddity emerge, the irrational enthusiasm associated with novelty; it induced him to continue studying her, flickering obstinately before he made his attempts at brushing it away. But he stayed, perplexed at her ability to continue taking him by surprise. He could write books attempting to model this girl's behavior, and it still would not suffice as an accurate predictor of her actions.

Orihime finally looked upwards at him. Her eyes grew very soft as they met his, as she finally allowed herself to give in to the luminosity of his irises without any barriers. The release of emotional weight was tremendously gratifying. A shade of light pink danced its way up her cheeks, igniting subtle rays of hope long snuffed out in the bowers of her heart.

_He's not…objecting_, she realized in disbelief.

Despite Ulquiorra's attempts at curtailing his intrigue, it intensified with the darkening rose on her face. He was well aware that it was him causing the color on her cheeks to spread. The extent of his effect on her was incredibly interesting, and this was saying something considering his standards. He had the capability to make her talk, make her laugh, make her cry.

Make her turn red.

Ulquiorra parted his lips slightly, as though he was about to speak, but instead he formed the sphere to carry them back to her chambers. She felt utterly disappointed that he did not say or do anything further, but a new realization dawned on her. His idiosyncratic lack of reaction really spoke volumes if the timing was right, and she was growing talented at distinguishing among his subtleties. She examined him bashfully, a new understanding overtaking her as he carried them across the pale sands. Orihime continued to stare after him like the fool she was, allowing herself to hope, to freely indulge in his alluring features for this last night. Tomorrow would be another day, when she would be his equal, and who knew if she would feel the same? She prayed that she would not forget herself as she was now.

Upon arriving at her door, Ulquiorra took his usual leave. Orihime whispered a melodious goodnight; it had been a long time since she had spoken to him so sweetly.

She dared to give him one last glance as he closed the door.

.oOo.

Orihime awoke the next morning panicked about what the day would bring, but she assured herself that all would be fine. She heard a knock on her door earlier than usual. As Ulquiorra entered her room, she noticed that his expression was eerily stoic, almost unreadable. He gave her six words that would change the course of her immediate life:

"Your friends have come for you."


	17. Bits & Pieces I

Author's Note:

**Wow**. So it's been three years since I have updated this story. I would like to take this time to apologize profusely for the delay. I have good reasons and not-so-good reasons for doing this. The good reasons are that I got a full-time job, (finally) finished my master's degree, and have been spending a lot of my time growing in my community. Not-so-good reasons include laziness, disinterest (now eroded, thanks to Naruto), and quite frankly, sheer frustration at these next few chapters. It took a lot of work and research to write all this. Part of me was scared to even include these next chapters. However, I felt they were necessary, and I hope you all enjoy my interpretation. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed and hasn't given up on this fic. It kept me motivated. I made a promise that I would finish. Three years later, I am finishing that promise to myself. A special thank you to my beta, eleventy7, who has given me sound advice and a quick turn around!

* * *

><p><strong>Disgust<strong>

The turn of events left Orihime in shock. _Why, after so long?_ Surely her friends, Soul Society, everyone had considered her an enemy by now. She stood silently as Ulquiorra coolly explained that her friends had infiltrated Hueco Mundo and were on their way to Las Noches.

Ulquiorra left Orihime's room as she stood dumbly, lost in thought.

.oOo.

The look in the woman's eyes was unmistakable; faith was a concept of which he passively acknowledged the existence, but at the mention of her friends it burst in her eyes like a firecracker, forming something almost tangible. He had not seen anything remotely close to the fervor in her eyes since the day she left Karakura Town, and the change in her was all brought on by that substitute shinigami and his friends.

Vexation rarely affected Ulquiorra, but something about the look in her eyes — perhaps it was the remembrance of her former life — it drew something out of her, beyond anything of which he could ever have scratched the surface. Having trained and studied and observed her for so many months, he thought he had completely enumerated her every response, thought and expression. Now another unexpected novelty had surfaced, baffling him once more, triggered by someone she had yet to lay eyes on. Why this bothered him, he could not understand, and the more he dwelled on it, the more vexed he became. This pathetic excuse for a death god — arriving months late, impertinently cavorting around Hueco Mundo, and now bursting through the walls of Las Noches — elicited an emotion from the woman who had been all but abandoned.

Ulquiorra continued walking, his disgust with the woman intensifying with every step. _Her caprice should have been expected_, he thought, almost bitter about his miscalculation. He scoured his thoughts, her training sessions fresh in his memory; though he knew she did not originally accept Aizen's offer as an ally, she had certainly become one in the process. Her loyalty to Ulquiorra, at least, was evident from the previous night, and this irritated him all the more. If the woman really did harbor affection for him, what was this reaction to seeing her friends? _She has somehow deluded herself into thinking that she can be allied with both Las Noches and her friends_. It was obvious which ally she preferred the most; in one second, her eyes gave everything away.

.oOo.

"Chad's not dead!" Orihime asserted, but this was more to convince herself than a statement of fact. Spending all her time frolicking around in Las Noches — this was the reality of what her world had been for the past several months. All the while she had tried convincing herself she was buying time, but she grudgingly realized that in her latter days there, she had secretly hoped to improve her strength. Orihime felt disgusted with herself for having ever having accepted any beneficence from Las Noches.

The food came in shortly, but Orihime was not in the mood for eating.

"Eat."

She had never heard Ulquiorra's voice so detached.

"He's not dead," she kept repeating.

She half-heard what the Espada tried to tell her. He threatened to force-feed her, which deeply hurt her feelings. The moment her friends arrived, acerbity replaced the apathy she had come to know so well.

He went on, taunting her, speaking against her loved ones. Admittedly, she had occasionally forgotten to remember them during her time in her cursed cell. She had sacrificed her sanity, and now he was coldly reassuming the role of the caretaker-stranger from so long ago. Did he really have no feelings? Just when she thought his words could not get any worse, he mocked the _death _ of her dear friend Chad, who was currently losing his life for her sake.

"What is it you want me to tell you? Don't worry? He is still alive? Disgusting. I am not here to console you. You must have known all along this was part of Aizen-sama's plan."

"Stop," Orihime whispered.

Ulquiorra ignored her. "Your nakama are foolhardy clowns. Why can't you realize that? If I were you, I'd be angry with them for chasing after you like lambs to the slaughter."

Orihime remembered the last time she had heard such cruelty from the man standing before her. Much had happened since then, but she had sworn to herself he would not go unpunished if he ever made comments like that again. Remembering her promise to herself, she broke into a sprint towards the Fourth Espada.

The sound of her hand raged against his face, echoing along the walls of her cell.

She panted, seething with fury and frustration. She wanted him to react. Something, _anything_, to at least give her an explanation for his behavior, but all he did was leave, giving her nothing but apathy and more threats about the food.

With the door tightly shut behind Ulquiorra, Orihime backed into the wall, sinking into her pathetic tears. She grieved in guilt and confusion, regretting ever having believed him to be anything more than a cannibal ghost.

**Friend**

The woman's sobbing aggravated Ulquiorra. Though he knew his comments would affect her, he had not expected this level of reaction. Her slap told him everything he needed to know about her true loyalty. _How fickle,_ he thought, but he still felt satisfaction in calculating correctly; once again, he had succeeded in extracting a response from her.

Ulquiorra headed towards the sensory room, his face still throbbing from the violence of Orihime's hand. He needed to find out immediately whether the break-in to Hueco Mundo would pose a threat to Las Noches' security. He was reluctant to approach the room — Ichimaru was notorious for sucking others into long, drawn-out conversations.

.oOo.

Gin Ichimaru's fingers furiously ghosted over the computer keys. He heard footsteps drawing near.

"Who is it?" Ulquiorra asked. "Did someone reach one of the Espada's palaces?"

Gin spun around in his chair to find Ulquiorra standing stiffly in the doorway. "Well, this is unusual," he replied with his characteristic smile.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes.

"You coming to talk to me, that is." Gin paused. "Don't you dislike me or somethin' like that?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes in a tired response. "Ridiculous."

Gin relaxed a bit, pleased that Ulquiorra was not entirely opposed to his presence. He had never really spoken to the Fourth Espada and had always been very curious about what kind of person he was. There had been many rumors shooting around that there was something going on between him and the human girl. Most people laughed it off because they could not perceive someone like Ulquiorra giving himself to any kind of romance, but Gin was not so sure. The former shinigami captain was quite familiar with the heaviness that accompanied the curse of a mask, as well as the pain that accompanied secret love, so he could spot a fake a mile away.

_Maybe he ain't as crazy as the others, _Gin realized.

"'Zat so? Well, if that's the case, then would ya mind becoming better friends with me?"

Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows.

"I've been sad ever since Luppi-kun went and died on me," Gin said, a touch of melancholy in his voice. "That kid and I used to talk a lot."

Ulquiorra did not seem interested in the slightest. He turned his attention to the screen, absently verbalizing his thoughts. "…This is…"

Starting to realize his attempts at conversation were growing futile, Gin responded, "Ahh! Nice, ain't it?"

"Hallway manipulation?" Ulquiorra finished.

"No, no, no. I would never do such a cruel thing to those kids. Besides, I'm not too fond of sad stories." After a pause, Gin tried once again."So whaddya say?"

"About what?"

"About bein' my friend? Didn't you already make friends with the Inoue girl? Are you sure you don't hate me?"

"Absolutely not," said Ulquiorra, in a clear response to the former question.

Gin's teasing smile grew ever so slightly wider. "So I'm not that bad, eh? I knew you weren't a square!"

Ulquiorra huffed. "That is not what I meant."

Gin made a face and gave Ulquiorra a slight chuckle; he turned back to look at the screen.

"You're not a very good liar, Ulquiorra," Gin teased. Before Ulquiorra could protest, Gin turned his attention to sudden movements by a redhead on screen. "Ya better go check out the lower towers; looks like that substitute shinigami just decided ta crash the party."

.oOo.

Ulquiorra left the control room headed in the direction of the lower stations of Las Noches, ruminating about Gin — a higher rank — and his request for friendship.

Ulquiorra scoffed at the oddity of what the former captain had requested. _What a strange character,_ Ulquiorra thought. _His primary concern should be the security of Las Noches, but instead he requests my friendship and refrains from cruelty. _Gin's tone and words were familiar. Gin was a superior, much the same way Ulquiorra was a superior to Orihime. Gin's odd request was akin to Ulquiorra extending his friendship to the likes of her. Ulquiorra briefly dwelled on Orihime's countless attempts to build a relationship with him. He could never completely understand her intentions behind it all, but in his conversation with Gin, he came to recognize that it was simply part of her nature. Gin had a similar sort of jovial personality; his lips were always curled in a smile, much like Orihime's playful expressions.

As Ulquiorra progressed towards his target, he could not help but note the irony of what had just transpired.

**Stairs**

"Apparently you do possess some sense after all," Ulquiorra called from the top of the stairs. Ichigo's unsightly bright hair reflected a shade of orange familiar to Ulquiorra. Though it was expected that Soul Society would attempt a rescue mission at some point, it was difficult for Ulquiorra to fully understand the bond between Orihime and her friends, particularly with the shinigami standing at the bottom of the stairs. Hadn't the months eroded the affection he witnessed on Orihime's final day in Karakura Town? Clearly, some level of mutual fondness remained. This was evident by the shinigami's presence in Hueco Mundo and the woman's countenance earlier that day. _It would not be unreasonable to eliminate any connections between the woman and human world, _Ulquiorra surmised, scrutinizing Kurosaki with steady eyes. _It will soon be destroyed by Aizen-sama anyway. _Though Aizen had never given Ulquiorra a direct order to engage the shinigami, it was clear that it was his duty not to pass up this prospect.

Ichigo did not respond to Ulquiorra's bait, however. As Ichigo turned to leave, he declared, "You're my enemy, but you have yet to hurt any of my friends."

_Friends._ _As though the woman upstairs could not be considered a traitor._ Ichigo's back was turned, his arrogance annoying Ulquiorra with every step.

"Is that so? What if I were to tell you that_ I_ was the one who brought Orihime Inoue to Hueco Mundo in the first place?"

Once again, Ulquiorra calculated perfectly. The attack came quick, but it was easy to deflect.

"So Inoue really _didn't _ come to Hueco Mundo of her own will?" Ichigo shouted.

"Surprising. Even after coming to save her, her _friends _ harbored a bit of doubt within themselves?" _Disloyalty is such a common character trait for humans._

Ichigo muttered something to the small hollow who had come with him, then turned and released his bankai. It was much stronger than expected. _A miscalculation? _

"Impossible."

It seemed that the woman was not the only one who underwent significant training throughout the time period she had spent in Las Noches. The attack took Ulquiorra off guard, but it was nothing unmanageable. As he emerged from the ashes, the look of shock on the shinigami's face brought Ulquiorra intense satisfaction.

"Cero."

It was easy after that point; Ulquiorra met the shinigami's attacks with unmatchable speed and technique. He stood above Kurosaki after blasting him multiple times, but the shinigami was resilient, and Ulquiorra was not unfamiliar with that look of determination on the face of a redhead. He scoffed at the connection as he used the shinigami's sword to rip his own shirt open. _This should quench his arrogance._

"Cuarto Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer; according to the Espada's power ranking, I am the fourth strongest."

The shinigami stared at him in disbelief, but he was given little time for reflection. Ulquiorra's steady hand ripped through Kurosaki's chest, tearing through flesh and bone like melted butter.

"No matter if you stand back up a thousand times, a path of victory does not exist for you," Ulquiorra finished. He left the death god lying on the ground with a hole in his chest, irritated at having under (and then over) estimated the shinigami's strength. It had been a while since Ulquiorra had used his signature move, but the circumstances were appropriate. Getting rid of the shinigami would simply make Aizen's goals easier, and he had decided on tearing that hole the moment Ichigo defied him.

Ulquiorra suddenly realized that the woman had probably just sensed what happened. He stared in the direction of her chambers. He would see to it that she knew her place in this world as soon as he washed the bloodstains from his hands.

**Monster**

Orihime banged on the door so hard that it hurt her hands. "Let me out, please, let me out!" Rukia's reiatsu had all but disappeared, overwhelming Orihime with anguish and contrition. _I have betrayed my friends, and now two of them have died for my sake!_

She panted in frustration, her hands trembling and her knees buckling.

She continued crying as she crawled over to the massive blue sofa. For the first time in a long time, she felt like a prisoner in this room. She sobbed for a while, when suddenly there was another shift in the air. Her eyes grew wide.

_No!_

"It's a lie!" she gasped, bewildered. "First Kuchiki-san, and now _Kurosaki-kun_?!" His reiatsu had dropped to an undetectable level, which could only mean one thing.

Before she could comprehend the implications of the shift around her, the door started rattling.

"Ulqui—" Orihime started to say, but her voice choked as soon as she saw the two faces.

"O-ri-hi-me chaaaaaaan! Can you come out and play?"

The one with pigtails had eyes like a snake. They were icy, ruthless, and brimming with jealousy. She set her lips in a chilling pseudo-smile, administering not a hope of any kindness. Her intentions were made clear in seconds; with one quick leap, she lashed out at her rival with a powerful kick to the face. Ohrihime flew back, crashing into a chair and bouncing on her back. She had no time to compose herself, for in the next moment, Loly grabbed a chunk of Orihime's hair, lifting her into the air.

"Ha! Look at you! You really think a human could be an arrancar?!" she sneered.

Orihime did not retaliate. Instead, she felt compassion for the girl. Orihime knew wholeheartedly what it was to love someone who did not reciprocate. She had known this feeling more than once. Orihime was fortunate in that there was never anyone else to rival her affections, but she could feel that Loly saw her as competition, someone to be eliminated. Loly was a creature driven by fear and hunger. She did not comprehend love because she had never experienced the truth of it. She only knew false affection and favoritism. Whatever consideration Aizen had given both Loly and Menoly, it was surely a mockery of the light Orihime had come to understand through her brother and friends.

As Loly gazed into Orihime's eyes, it provoked her into a craze. "Don't look at me like that!" she screamed, thrusting her fist into Orihime's face. Menoly tried to calm down her counterpart, but she would not have it.

"I'll yank out her fingernails!" Loly viciously sang.

_BOOM!_

The door burst forth with incredible force. Bits and pieces of the walls blasted away, creating a cloud of concrete dust. Orihime, bloodied and weakened from her attacker, could barely make out what was going on.

"Grimmjow!" Loly screeched, sounding horrified. She stood there, paralyzed, her hands still wrapped in Orihime's hair.

"Yo!"Grimmjow barked. "You snuck in here while Ulquiorra was out, eh?"

"This isn't good," Menoly uttered under her breath, her voice quivering.

"Just what do _you_ want?" Loly challenged defiantly.

Grimmjow would not have any of it. In a flash, he attacked Loly, giving a powerful punch to her stomach with incredible ease.

Orihime could not believe her eyes — she had not seen Grimmjow in months, perhaps. Why was he here now, defending her? And where was Ulquiorra? _How could he leave me alone with them? _

Suddenly, Menoly rose up in Loly's defense, but her life was instantaneously snuffed out by Grimmjow's extraordinary cero.

_Oh, my God! He killed her!_ Orihime could not believe these were the kind of people with whom she had allied herself. She knew that they were cruel, but to witness how carelessly they could kill one another, and even her, without the slightest remorse terrified her immensely. The shocking reality was that she truly _had_ been protected by Ulquiorra for all those months. _But why is Grimmjow saving me? What reason could he have?!_

"Aizen-sama is going to _get_ you for this…" Loly cried in a pained voice.

Unfazed, Grimmjow walked over to Loly with pure malice in his eyes, stepping on one of her legs and quickly moving to break it amidst her screeching protests. She yelled in pain, pleading, begging him to stop.

Orihime reached her limit. _I have to do something!_

"Aizen-sama is going to KILL YOU!" Loly screamed.

"Idiot," Grimmjow whispered, "Aizen doesn't care what I do to you." He finally turned his attention to Orihime, who was sitting dumbly on the ground.

"Why?" she asked weakly, her question harboring multiple meanings.

He slowly walked over to her, the enmity in his eyes making it clear that this was no act of kindness whatsoever.

"For my left arm," he replied flatly.

"What?" replied a confused Orihime, but he lifted her into the air in a similar fashion to Loly's attack several minutes prior.

"B-but why did you…"

Grimmjow jeered, "You think I came here to help you? How stupid can you be?! My debt is repaid, so we're even." He paused. "And now you're going to do something else for me," he commanded.

Crushed, Orihime remained silent. _I really am stupid for believing I ever had a part in this world. _

Just as flippantly as he had lifted her, Grimmjow let go of her hair. Orihime tumbled to the ground as Grimmjow ordered her to fix her own face before she would be allowed to help him.

_No! I'm not one of these demons! No matter what clothes I wear or how much I train with them, I refuse to be one of them anymore, and I am NOT going to leave someone to die when I have the power to heal them! _

Before Grimmjow could do anything, she ran over to Loly and quickly repaired her leg. It took several moments before Loly realized that Orihime had invoked the powers of her Shun Shun Rikka. Confused and irate, she threw a furious slap at Orihime's face.

"Don't touch me! What are you doing?!"

Orihime, persistent in her kindness, refused to stop. Loly's leg was healed in seconds, far more quickly than Orihime could have ever imagined.

_I guess all of that reiatsu training with Ulquiorra was good for something after all, _Orihime thought morosely.

Before Grimmjow could object, she sprinted over to Menoly and began the more difficult chore of resurrection. The last time she had performed this task was with Hachigen Ushoda, after Tsubaki had been completely destroyed by Yammy.

_Can I even do this? _she thought, depressed. _I have to try. _ Grimmjow started to protest, but he was soon silenced. Small particles amassed around Menoly while she lay in a golden hemisphere in the center of the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Orihime noticed Grimmjow's eyes hooked on her, as though he wanted to see whether she could really do it.

Menoly never got a chance to thank Orihime for resurrecting her.

**Prey**

Ulquiorra stood in the darkness beyond Orihime's broken door, his shadow casting an ominous silhouette along the rubble. He could feel the fear of the two arrancar in the room. He recalled his encounter with them in the hallway many weeks ago. It snuffed out any hope of an alibi for them.

Ulquiorra took several steps forward. There was no shock in his face. He did not look worried. His face was cool. Still.

"What exactly happened here?" His voice was formidably calm, but upon taking several steps into the room and appraising the massive damage, it turned ever so slightly irate.

"Who did this?" His eyes were as steel, matching the tone of his disbelieving voice.

"G-Grimmjow," Loly blurted out. Sweat oozed from her forehead and hands; Ulquiorra could see her hands trembling as his glare grew hostile.

After a pause, he narrowed his calculating eyes, quickly establishing what his ideal next move should be. Traces of Orihime's Soten Kisshun polluted the room, emanating most heavily from Menoly.

"I see," he muttered.

Ulquiorra turned and left, giving neither of the terrified girls a second glance. He was furious at the act of treason committed against Las Noches. The girl was _his _ responsibility, and anyone infringing upon his duty must immediately be reprimanded. What would he say to Aizen if the girl was harmed? He had already faltered in this duty once; another failure was absolutely intolerable. He would deal with the fools in Orihime's room at a later time — he had bigger fish to fry at the moment. Grimmjow's imbecilic thirst for blood had obviously led him to capture the girl. Grimmjow had wanted to pick a fight with the substitute shinigami since day one, but this was the highest level of disrespect he could ever have wrought upon any comrade. Repairing the wounds of a defeated enemy was utterly unacceptable.

And the woman…

_The woman…_

Despite the fact that she had lent her powers to heal the two girls who had attacked her, images of Orihime hovering over the shinigami, happily healing him in traitorous devotedness flickered in his imagination. Is this how he was to be repaid after months of dedication? After all of his exceptional efforts in harvesting her tolerance of reiatsu, of having to put up with the tedium of her daily nonsense and _especially_ after having to put up with her inane hints of affection? _How could I have allowed myself to be so woefully misled? The girl is an absolute antithesis to consistency; she is no doubt utilizing her powers for the shinigami's resurrection this very moment, _Ulquiorra realized, his frustration with Orihime rising. His unfortunate tolerance of her sympathies had led him to believe that she was at least loyal to him — that at the very least, he could count on her attachment to him to present results to Aizen.

_She is quite the little actress, isn't she?_

It was settled.

He would retrieve her immediately and seal her back in her chambers where she belonged.

_And Grimmjow…_

_I'll teach him what happens when he messes with someone else's prey. _


	18. Bits & Pieces II

**Speak of the Devil**

Grimmjow cut the gag on Orihime's mouth with a swift flick of his finger, barely nicking her ear. She was too stunned by the sight before her to notice.

It had been a very long time since Orihime had laid eyes on Ichigo Kurosaki. She underwent a flurry of mixed emotions. That strawberry blond hair — much like her own — those strong, chiseled features, his never-ending grip tying him to Zangetsu.

_Kurosaki-kun…_

Terrified to see him almost dead, her eyes grew wide with disbelief. Never in her life had she ever expected to see him so fragile.

_After all of my efforts! After all I've come here to accomplish! I came here to prevent this! _

"Kurosaki-kun…"

His eyes were blank, dead.

"Fix him," came the condescending voice behind her.

She spun her head. _What?!_

Orihime did not understand Grimmjow's statement; surely there had to be some kind of ulterior motive. Ultimately, it did not matter. It was instinct that guided her hands and thoughts now. It was amazing just how easily she could slip back into a protective mode for Ichigo. She immediately set to work, apprehensive about what Kurosaki would say if she was successful in healing him. Part of her still doubted in her own power.

A small hollow, apparently a friend of Ichigo's, sat before her, pleading with her to heal the substitute shinigami, but Grimmjow soon silenced the girl.

"Just be quiet and she'll fix him," he ordered. "Be quiet and watch."

Grimmjow's tone was remarkably resolute. He had witnessed firsthand the results of Orihime's power. If she was not confident in herself, hearing those words from an unlikely character like Grimmjow certainly delivered the assurance she needed. How was it possible that he had more faith in her than she had in herself? Her confidence rose slightly. She had, after all, been hand-selected by Aizen to serve in his army, just like the rest of them.

_But…what is this? _

_There's something I can'__t reject, _she realized, horrified.

It was a large chunk of spiritual pressure dwelling in the center of Ichigo's chest. There was something exceedingly familiar about it — something she could not quite put a finger on. It was so dense that it was getting in the way of her rejection technique, and its effect was alarming. Whoever had done this was capable of carving a hole through Ichigo's chest…ripping apart his flesh…

…and heart?

It was absolutely barbaric.

"Who would do such a thing?"

The answer jetted from Grimmjow's mocking grin. "Ulquiorra."

A bewildered gasp escaped Orihime's throat. _No, that'__s impossible__ — he wouldn't do that! He knows that Kurosaki-kun is my friend…he knows me. Why would he try to kill him?_

"It's what he does," Grimmjow continued in jeering nonchalance. "I'm not sure he even realizes it, but whenever he takes an interest in his enemy, he always punches a hole in the exact same location." He tightened his fists as he stood up. "I'll teach him what happens when he messes with someone else's prey!"

Orihime was too stunned to care about Grimmjow's vengeance — calm, cool, cautious, and above all, _apathetic_ Ulquiorra? The hole in Ichigo's chest was entrenched with the darkest kind of violence. The reiatsu emanated ire, which was why she could not recognize it right away. She had gotten so used to the prudence of Ulquiorra's spiritual power that the barbarity exuding from Kurosaki took Orihime completely by surprise. She could not believe Ulquiorra to be capable of such an act. Not because he did not have it in him to do it, but because until this point, his stoicism had been nothing short of impeccable.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a distressed moan. Ichigo weakly uttered the names of the two females before him.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime yelped.

"ICHIGOOOO!" the little girl cried.

Grimmjow's patience was starting to wear thin. He ordered Orihime to continue fixing the shinigami's wounds, finally leading her to understand the purpose of bringing her there. Orihime immediately refused.

"If that's the reason you're making me fix — "

"SHUT UP I SAID! I'm allowing you to fix the guy who would have been dead! Stop complaining and hurry up! It won't take long before Ulquiorra realizes what's going on and comes back! Before that, I'll — "

As though uttering Ulquiorra's name was a summons, an angry figure materialized several feet behind Grimmjow. Grimmjow and Orihime whipped their heads around. Ulquiorra was indeed back and did indeed discover what happened.

"Ulquiorra," Grimmjow challenged.

Ulquiorra kept a steady voice. "What are you doing? Grimmjow…"

Grimmjow refused to answer the question. Orihime fixed her eyes on Ulquiorra, but he was still too preoccupied with Grimmjow to address her.

"What's wrong? I'm talking to you," Ulquiorra coolly spat. "What are you trying to pull — healing the wounds of an enemy I defeated?"

To the untrained ear, it would appear that these words came from an indifferent man, but Orihime was not so quick to be fooled. It was a stark distinct from the usual irritation she had experienced on numerous occasions throughout their time together. He sounded irate, trying to maintain his composure. It was a side of Ulquiorra that Orihime had never seen.

A smirking Grimmjow remained silent.

"No response?" Ulquiorra replied in false stoicism.

Just when Orihime thought that things could not get any more uncomfortable, Ulquiorra hurled a furious glance her way.

_Just what do you think you'__re doing?_ his eyes seemed to say.

She stared at him in wide-eyed shame. Behind her, Ichigo continued healing under her strengthened power. Power she had garnered from training with Ulquiorra. The irony was humiliating.

_I'm so sorry…but…I still care about Ichigo Kurosaki. He is still my friend._

No dice. Ulquiorra was not tolerating any excuses, and the weight of his eyes was far too much to bear. She guiltily diverted her eyes to the ground.

.oOo.

_Fickle__ woman. Disloyalty is one of your most prominent qualities, isn't it?_

Ulquiorra looked at her heatedly for several moments before he finally addressed Grimmjow again, his tone eerily calm.

"Very well, then. In any case, Aizen-sama has entrusted that girl to _me_."

He paused.

"Hand her over," he demanded.

A knowing smirk curled its way onto Grimmjow's lips. "Piss off!"

Startled at the blatant disregard for orders, Ulquiorra countered, "What did you say?"

"What's the matter?" Grimmjow teased. He shouted defiantly, "You've got a lot to say, don't you, ULQUIORRA?!"

The attack came out of nowhere, fast and hard. Ulquiorra blocked it with a single hand, but not without effort.

_Belligerent fool._

Grimmjow's eyes emanated maniacal—almost envious—hatred. He blew another attack towards Ulquiorra, but it was immediately deflected.

In the background, Orihime watched as the two of them fought, exposing herself to attack as she was still using all of her energy to heal the substitute shinigami. The sudden blow from Grimmjow shook everything; its range was wide and should have blasted her to pieces, but it never reached her because Ulquiorra ultimately deflected the attack away from himself and, in the process, away from her. Incensed that he had to resort to saving Orihime from Grimmjow's attack, Ulquiorra spun in the air, pointing his steady finger at Grimmjow. His eyes were full of wrath.

Grimmjow, unlike Ulquiorra, was not worried about destroying everything and everyone surrounding them. He twisted his mouth in a sardonic smile and unleashed his own cero to counter Ulquiorra's, holding nothing back. The blast from both of their power was tremendous; it broke pieces off the pillar on which they fought.

Ulquiorra flew backwards; he was not expecting to enter into such close combat. He quickly jerked his eyes to the side, furiously scanning the area. His eyes finally rested on a head of long, burnt-orange hair decorated with hibiscus pins.

He noted that there was no blood.

Ulquiorra then turned his attention to look around for Grimmjow, but he was nowhere to be found.

_Did he perish…?_

Out of nowhere, a hand reached out and grabbed Ulquiorra's hollow hole. Ulquiorra was horrified to see a small cube head into his body.

_This is…!_

Too late. The cube had already penetrated, and a helpless Ulquiorra cursed at himself, looking on for only as long as he remained in the dimension of Hueco Mundo.

**Hollow**

As Orihime had spent most of her time locked in utter solitude, the current pace of events left her mind spinning. She could hardly keep up with the movements between Grimmjow and Ichigo. Her nerves were a wreck from the quick movements and the incredible levels of reiatsu around her. Had she never trained with Ulquiorra, she might have collapsed from the levels to which she was being exposed. At some point in the fight, Grimmow had released his second form. His movements grew quicker and stronger.

Ichigo had also transformed. There was something exceptionally unnerving about the way he was fighting. Having been exposed to the reiatsu of hollows for so many months, it was easily trackable within Ichigo. But why would he have the reiatsu of a hollow?

_This is Kurosaki-kun…he is good, isn't he? Is that really…you?_

At another point in the fight, Ichigo had hovered near the area where Orihime was watching, protecting her from one of Grimmjow's attacks. Orihime could sense a dark spirit emanating from within him. It was something she never, ever would have expected to come from Ichigo. This feeling about him was shockingly familiar, and her mind fluttered to all the hollows she had encountered living in Hueco Mundo. There was no distinction between Ichigo's spirit and the hollows to which she had grown accustomed, and this left her dysphoric. She was looking at her future in Ichigo, and the darkness he exuded caused her to be even more disgusted with herself and the decision she had made to be hollowfied.

Ichigo flew back to Grimmjow after he had blocked the attack. Orihime stared helplessly after him.

_I mustn't be afraid, I mustn't be afraid!_

How was it possible to be afraid of Ichigo and not Ulquiorra? She could not see any light in his eyes, nothing that resembled humanity. It reminded her of the way her brother looked at her when he had turned into a hollow. Mortifying.

It did not help that Ichigo was showing signs of weakness. It did not help that Little Nel was egging her on, challenging her lack of faith in Ichigo. The girl was a hollow. Of course she would not understand what Orihime was going through. Orihime tried her best and shouted for Ichigo, even crying, but part of it was due to frustration. She always felt so helpless around him. Reverting back to these feelings also made her angry with herself. For months she had known what it was like to finally feel somewhat useful. Had nothing changed?

The fight between Ichigo and Grimmjow raged on. Orihime grew even more frustrated with herself; seeing Ichigo fight on her behalf brought back all the memories of her time in Soul Society and the human world. She wondered what the transition to her old life would be like if Aizen was defeated. She was no longer the only human around, but this contradicted the hollow-like reiatsu coming from Ichigo.

_I feel like I can't see myself reflected in those eyes, I feel like Ichigo has turned into a stranger._ It was a blunt distinction from the lustrous green eyes lingering in the back of her mind — ones that gave her strength; ones she was _used_ to seeing herself in, ones that led her to believe in herself. This was nowhere near what she saw in Ichigo.

It kept her on edge and uncertain about what would happen to her if she continued to show her support for Ichigo. What if he lost? Would Grimmjow sell her out for supporting Aizen's enemy? _No, Ichigo will not lose. He can't, can he?_

It was at that moment that Little Nel had berated Orihime for not cheering Ichigo on, asking her why she was so quiet, shouting about how he had attacked Ulquiorra upon hearing Orihime's name. A confused Orihime knew not what to think. Ichigo had attacked Ulquiorra on account of her? _What did he say about me? What made Ulquiorra so mad that he ended up almost killing Kurosaki-kun? _

"What are you doing jutht thanding there, not cheering him on?!"

The question struck Orihime to the core.

_Why _am_ I not cheering him on? Why am I so confused?! Why is it so hard for me to support him now that I know he's part hollow?_

After much prodding, the guilt outweighed confusion and Orihime finally gave in to her whims, reaching deep within her heart to extract loyalty to her friend.

_That's right…to begin with, I came here just thinking I wanted to protect everyone, but when I heard they had come to save me, I couldn't help but feel a little glad somewhere in my heart. When I look at Kurosaki-kun with that mask, I think he might not have come here to save me at all. Even though it's wrong, they shouldn't be going that far for me. Even though I really…don't want him to die. Because a part of me I used to know…will die with him._

She shouted with all her might, as if to recall some old element that had once been part of her existence, knowing that if Kurosaki died, part of her would also die with him.

"DON'T DIE, KUROSAKI-KUN!"

.oOo.

There was something about Orihime Inoue, something about her voice, something about the life that pulsed within her, that had the power to draw life out of a man. She had healing powers, this was true, but the healing powers were not just related to the Shun Shun Rikka; their healing power was only strong because she, the woman herself, was full of hope and light and love. Like her offensive abilities, her healing abilities were also subject to the strength of her healing spirit. They not only had the power to heal in the physical and spiritual realms, but also in the realm of inspiration.

In that moment, Ichigo Kurosaki remembered where he was.

Yes, he would survive.

And he would dominate.

And he _would_ win.

**Reclaim**

"Girl! Fix up my wounds!" Zaraki Kenpachi ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Orihime shouted, happy to finally be of some use and excited to have been acknowledged. She had been so relieved to see the captain after the brutal ordeal between Nel and Nnoitra. Perhaps even more relieved than when Ichigo beat Grimmjow.

She thanked the heavens for all the training she had received from Ulquiorra as it had allowed her to withstand such tremendous spiritual pressure.

Obediently, she ran towards the bloodied captain.

She saw three things at once: a neck, an ivory jawbone, and a vacuous hole in flesh. As she dared to look downwards, recognition of the white glove dawned on her. The familiar, cool, brown eyes that met her own solidified her disbelief.

"Sorry about this," Starrk said, his contrition evident. "To be honest, it's a pain for me, too. It's a mighty shame, but…you're coming with me."

Orihime heard Zaraki's and Ichigo's swords clatter and whip into the air.

Too slow.

Starrk had reclaimed her.


	19. Bits & Pieces III

Author's Note: So, this is the last installment of the "canon" chapters, thank God. I've struggled so much with these Bits and Pieces. They have sat in my computer since 2012, just collecting digital dust until I could get rid of my writer's block and laziness. Props to my beta, eleventy7 - why are you so epic.

As I was writing some of the future chapters of this story (read: this is not where the story ends), I went back and listened to some of the Bleach ending songs for inspiration – in particular the nostalgic endings 3 and 5 (Houki Boshi and Life), my personal favorites. It occurred to me that Bleach has been part of my life for seven years now. Wow. Thanks, everyone, for sharing this journey with me. A great deal has happened in my life since 2008, and enjoying this universe has been one of the things that I have been able to look forward to during the passing years. Thanks again for all of you who review, favorite, and alert. It warms my heart to know that people from around the world are reading this and sharing in the glory that is UlquiHime.

* * *

><p><em>Therefore I realize the truth:<br>I disavow and mourn all I have said  
>and repent in dust and ash. <em>

_Job 42:6_

**Fear**

Within seconds, Coyote Starrk transported back to the confines of Aizen's throne room. Orihime struggled for several moments before adjusting to her circumstances.

"Why are you doing this?" she squealed.

Starrk responded in silence. Aizen, Gin, Tousen, and a few other Espada were scattered about the room. Her eyes grew in terror as she realized Aizen was gazing straight at her.

_Oh, no! He's going to kill me!_

"Orihime," Aizen began, "what's wrong? That's a rather pained face you're making."

He flashed over to her, gently brushing his cold hands across her lips in one swift move. His face was dangerously close to her mouth. She felt his repulsive breath crawling across her skin as he spoke.

"You should smile more," he chided.

_What is he doing?! I've never felt so violated in my life!_ She could not concentrate on his words, as she was too distracted by the way he was making her skin prickle. Behind him, the portal to another dimension opened itself up to blue skies and skyscrapers. It had been too long since Orihime had laid eyes on her home town. Her eyes darted hungrily behind his shoulder. How she longed to return to her former life, to escape from this hell. It was certain death for her now. What further proof could Aizen have of her disloyalty? Distracted by her thoughts, she finally noticed him enough to hear his final words to her.

"…until we get back from destroying Karakura Town."

"Destroy Karakura Town?" she squeaked.

"That's right," he said as though it was the most natural thing in the world. There was a hint vengeance in his voice, too, as if he had planned this all along specifically to punish her for his own amusement.

Starrk brushed past her and headed towards Aizen. Orihime finally noticed Lilynette in the corner of her eye, realizing that she had been standing there the entire time. Orihime could not make out the look in Lilynette's face. It was a cross between confusion and hurt. Another sharp stab of guilt made its way even deeper into Orihime's heart. She squinted her eyes slightly in an attempt to apologize to her, but Lilynette darted her eyes away from Orihime, following Starrk towards Aizen. It occurred to Orihime that the two of them were probably headed to fight the Soul Society captains in the human world…this might be the last time she would ever see either of them. She could feel tears welling up behind her eyelids as she opened her mouth to say goodbye, but she was again interrupted by Aizen. He was talking aloud, appearing to address someone other than himself. He explained something startling:

"I am leaving Orihime Inoue in the fifth tower. If you wish to retrieve her, you may come and make your attempt. I no longer have any use for her."

Orihime felt her heart stop. She stared hard at Aizen as he spoke.

"Her ability is truly a powerful one," Aizen continued, a self-satisfied smirk curling on his lips. "'Phenomenon Rejection,' an ability far exceeding the capacities permitted to humans. The upper echelons of Soul Society understood the significance of her ability, and that is why I kidnapped her, in order to unsettle Soul Society and turn their attention to reinforcing their own defenses rather than those of the human world."

Orihime felt sick. She had always known that she was being used by Aizen…but to discover that she was being _used_ by Aizen in such a dark and twisted manner shattered her entire understanding of herself. It was not just her spirit-friends like Ichigo and Ishida and Chad who were in danger — she had put even her human friends at risk — no, now even the entire destruction of Karakura Town was because of her disloyalty!

Aizen went on to explain his horrifying plan of having kidnapped Orihime to bait Ichigo and her friends into Soul Society. _I can't believe this! Was Aizen never meaning to use the Hogyoku on me, after all? All of that time I spent in training!_

"…She was the perfect bait to lure these forces into Hueco Mundo," Aizen continued.

Orihime spotted the Captain Commander in the distance as Aizen inched towards the dimension slit. He called Tia Harribel, Coyote Starrk, and Barragan forward — the top three Espada.

_This is real! _

Aizen's back was turned before Orihime heard the words that would make her heart pound with suspense.

"Before that, I leave Las Noches to you for a while, Ulquiorra."

In moments, a familiar hand ripped through the void in front of Aizen's royal chaise, and Orihime spun her head towards the emerging figure.

"Yes, sir."

.oOo.

Ulquiorra wasted no time in throwing Orihime one of his admonishing glances. His eyes were almost as intense as when he had confronted her earlier.

The dimension revealing Karakura Town closed soon afterwards, but Orihime had hardly any time to realize what this meant as Ulquiorra was steadily making his way towards her. Several sentiments gripped Orihime at the moment as she stared at the Espada walking towards her — fury, confusion, relief, and she could not decide which outweighed the other until he spoke.

He asked her a single question. "Are you afraid?"

Orihime had spent enough time with the Espada to know that though he was clever at getting answers from her without giving away any information about himself, on some occasions, he failed miserably at this. This was one of those times. His question was blatantly incomplete. What he was really asking her was, Are you afraid _of me?_

Orihime's face softened, prompting Ulquiorra to go on talking. He attempted explaining to her that she was out of everyone's reach—that she was inevitably going to die in Hueco Mundo, alone. But what she critically discerned from his monologue of intimidation is that he did not assert that _he_ would be the one to kill her. This multiplied her suspicions about his true feelings towards her.

He asked his question once more, but the incompleteness in the question remained. He still bore the weight of needing to protect himself, and it made Orihime understand in her heart of hearts that this man would not hurt her. If he felt the need to mask such a simple question, then he wasn't the unshakeable stoic he portrayed himself as after all.

"Are you afraid?"

The answer was simple after that.

"I'm not."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed a little.

"My friends all came for me. My heart, my spirit, will always be where my friends are." She spoke serenely, looked into his eyes, and desperately tried to communicate to him that if he so chose, he could be one of those people.

"Ridiculous," was his response, throwing a crushing answer to what her heart was offering him. "You feel no fear because your nakama are here? Don't tell me you actually mean that?"

Ulquiorra was deliberately leading the conversation away from what Orihime was starving for it to be. She answered his question truthfully.

"Yes, I do. When I first heard that they had all come here to save me, I was a little happy. But I was incredibly sad as well." The color on her cheeks turned a familiar rose as she recounted their interlude out in the desert the previous day. "I only came here to protect all of them. Why did they have to come after me?" She shifted her eyes to the ground. "Why couldn't they understand? That's what I thought."

She went on to explain how horrible she felt each time she sensed the collapse of each of her friends, and then continued, "I realized that if any one of them were to suddenly disappear like I did, I'm sure I would also do the same thing. It might not be possible to feel exactly the same as another person..." She paused. She wanted to make sure Ulquiorra was looking into her eyes when she continued. "But it's possible for people to care about one another, and to place their hearts as close together as they can manage. I'm sure that's what it means to make your hearts 'as one'."

Orihime felt Ichigo's familiar, warm reiatsu drawing near.

Ulquiorra's tone shifted. "Hearts, you say?" he replied cynically.

He had that look in his eye — the one that said that he was about to make some glorious point that would destroy the logic of whatever she had just said.

"You humans are always so quick to speak of such things, as though you physically carry the hearts in the palms of your hands. But this eye of mine perceives all. There is nothing it overlooks."

Their conversation turned nostalgic. Orihime thought back to the marvel she had witnessed when he shattered his eye in front of her.

"If this eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist; I have always operated under that assumption."

His eyes turned dark as he spoke his next words. "What is a heart?"

Slowly, deliberately, his steady hand rose up inches away from her chest. She recognized this move. This is the position he took when firing his mighty cero. His next words were the most violent she had ever heard him speak.

"If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there?"

The anger that had momentarily subsided in Orihime sprouted once more. _Why are you being like this?_

"If I smash that skull of yours, will I see it there?"

.

Much more quickly than either of them had expected, Ichigo came crashing into the wall.

Ulquiorra threw a raging look at Ichigo as the dust settled.

_Interrupting, shinigami?_

"Get away from Inoue," Ichigo commanded.

"I plan to," an insulted Ulquiorra shot back, not knowing why he felt so irritated at the shinigami's implication. "My duty is to protect Las Noches until Aizen-sama returns. I haven't received any orders to kill the girl," he added, his tone defensive.

A soft, barely audible gasp escaped Orihime's lips.

Ulquiorra heard it, heard what his words had just foolishly implied, and clumsily corrected himself. "This girl will live until I receive that order." Noting Orihime's questioning eyes, he quickly continued, "But you're another story. Killing you is equivalent to protecting Las Noches."

There was a pause before he announced his threat. "I will erase you with my sword."

Ulquiorra had long recognized Ichigo as a hindrance to Aizen's plans and had already taken the steps to destroy Ichigo earlier. Acknowledging the sloppiness of his previous attempt, he resolved to pull out all the stops and finish the job he had started.

.

Chaos ensued inside Orihime's head and in front of her eyes as two people she deeply cared about engaged in a daring battle. Swords flew, steel clanked, blood dripped, concrete crumbled, and cloth wisped in the wind as each man grew more determined to emerge the victor.

Unsure of how to act, Orihime did not want to discourage either of them by rooting for the other. So she stayed silent, terror at losing a loved one growing with every breath.

.

Ulquiorra reluctantly observed that the shinigami had gotten much stronger since his last encounter. No doubt the world filled with spirit particles played a role in quickening his evolution. His fight with Grimmjow was a likely catalyst for improvement. _Or perhaps it is because of the woman? _He wondered this aloud.

"That woman is already one of us," Ulquiorra proclaimed. "That won't change, no matter how hard you try."

Orihime's face grew red with shame as Ulquiorra glanced in her direction.

Proceeding with determination, Ulquiorra unknowingly braced himself for the final battle of his life.

**The Ash**

It took but one look, as always. The familiar subtlety was there, pulling at her. How could she refuse? Her heart easily forgave him when she recognized the understanding in his eyes. Yes, even a touch of remorse belied his impersonal exterior, and she yearned to tell him she understood while there was yet time. And with that one look, she was bewildered to witness something much deeper than she could ever have hoped for. She finally understood! His behavior, his cruelty, his drive. Everything — but his wrath most of all. The final piece in this complex puzzle was now hers to comprehend. _How could I not have seen this?_ But at least she saw it now. At least she could respond. Deeply grateful for the subtle language they had developed, she knew she could tell him all he needed to know by gazing into his eyes.

But what was this? He wanted more than just her eyes. He reached out his hand. Orihime could not believe what he was doing. _Why now, _she thought, her heart breaking. _You had so long, so much time! _She could feel the tears burning behind her eyelids. How many tears had she already cried for this man?

"Are you afraid?" was all he said.

His question cut her; it was an irony that only she could understand. She pitied the hollow — and herself. His demise had come too soon; she was ill-prepared, she panicked! But his expression was as calm as hers was restless, and this put her at ease.

"No, I'm not," her voice finally chimed.

.

Ulquiorra thought back to his first true exposure to the sentiments of this mesmerizing woman. He reflected bitterly on the libélula's death. But all that mattered now was the gratification of his last, insatiable desire. It was irrational, but he wanted it. Had he finally understood what she meant by the heart? The final enigma in comprehending her? His motivations indicated that this was true. With the same hand that had crushed her reiatsu into his body, he reached out to indulge himself in his bittersweet novelty one last time. But would she respond to him?

_Yes. _

Even now, she brought something out of him he never thought possible. It had been evident inside of him since that nuisance of a death god had accused him of becoming more human. But it didn't matter now. Her heart was reaching out to him, and her eyes affirmed the thing he craved most.

As his hand dissipated into ash at the seizing of her hand, their eyes locked, marking the final steps of their secret promenade.


End file.
